From The Start
by Sprogster85
Summary: This narrative will mostly follow the events of God Eater Resurrection. However, what if the protagonist was already killing aragami before he became a God Eater? What if he was being hunted to be recruited by the Far East Branch for his skill of killing aragami without a God Arc? He meets this group in the Wailing Plains but what will happen from there?
1. Chapter 1

God Eater Fanfiction

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Codename: Winter

Gender: Male

Hairstyle: Style 22 (Dark Brown)

Flair: Glasses 1 (Black)

Clothing:

Blue Officer Top,

Petunia Pants

A/N: When reading through this narrative feel free to replace my character's information with your own. That's what I like to do when reading other God Eater Fanfiction to make it feel like I am in the story. The appearance will not matter as much in this narrative anyway.

In the Wailing Plains, we can see an individual fighting an aragami of sorts. However, this individual is different. He is not a God Eater and is yet fighting a monster that would cause most civilians to panic and run. Not this guy however, with a look of hatred on his face he charges towards the monster. The monster remains stationary and unleashes spikes from its body. The man avoids these spikes and jumps over the monster and thus lands behind it where he starts piercing the aragami with what appears to be an average sized spear. Strangely enough, this spear appears to be similar to the type of spikes that the aragami unsheathed.

"You're beginning to get on my nerves." The individual states as he continues to hack away at the aragami. Nearing its last breath, the aragami decides to slide upwards from its rooted spot. The man eventually notices its movement and narrowly avoids being pierced in multiple places by rotating his body so that the spikes go past him. Taking this opportunity, the man decides to pierce the open gut of the creature causing it major damage. It appears to scream and moves its head forward which in turn causes the spikes to move up and come into contact with the man. The spikes do not pierce the man but do enough damage to cause him to slightly bleed and grimace at the pain the spikes caused when they pressed against him. Dislodging himself from that position, he removes what looks to be a butcher knife from his trousers and starts hacking away at a spike. Once the spike falls off he starts hacking at another spike until it falls off. After doing that for the remaining 8 spikes he picks them all up just in time for the aragami to melt into the ground. It is at this point he hears voices.

Winter's POV

"There he is!" Says a girl that looked to be not dressed for the climate. Was there anything even protecting her back from the cold climate of the Wailing Plains? Granted that it is not as cold as it is at the Tranquil Temple but still! The girl appears to be carrying a drastically oversized gun.

"I've found him guys." The girl says into a device that must be like a radio while watching my every move.

"Excellent! Make sure he does not move from that spot!" Comes a reply from the device. Definitely a male's voice.

I notice that she takes her eyes off of me so that she could hold the device closer to her face. For some reason this girl and that guy she's on the radio to want me to stay still. Like hell am I going to do that. However, if I could grab that gun then that would make scavenging a lot easier. As soon as her eyes left me to locate that device I was over to her in an instant and came into contact with the oversized gun.

"Gah!" I screamed as I held onto the gun. There was a sharp pain in my hands from where I came into contact with the gun. But I couldn't let go. Thankfully, I was forced to let go once I was kicked in the stomach away from the gun.

"Idiot! You can't touch my gun! It will only respond to me!" The girl says in response to me touching her gun. Intrigued by her answer, I respond with,

"And why is that?" With which she moves her arm up so that I could see some kind of bracelet on her wrist.

"This bracelet..." she starts before I interrupt her,

"It is the first time I have heard of having to wear a bracelet to control a gun." She responds with,  
"You do not know what I am do you?"  
"What you are? I don't even know who you are!" Surprised at my outburst she hastily replies  
"I am Sakuya Tachibana, a God Eater and sub-leader of the 1st Unit of the Far East Branch. I am also the top ranked shooter of the Far East Branch so don't even think about running away or I will have to paralyse you with one of my paralysis bullets."

"Whatever a God Eater is, I didn't envision my first encounter with one to be like this." I respond which makes this Sakuya girl's face look like somebody just told her that they didn't know what a God Eater is. Oh right, they did. And it was me. Hey wait a minute, did that bitch just threaten me. Oh yeah, I was too busy trying to acquire a new weapon that I forgot that this bitch and her friend wanted to find me.

"A God Eater is..." Sakuya starts but I intercept with,

"Listen, I don't care what a God Eater is. All I want to know is why you and your friend want me to remain where I am."

"Well that's quite simple really, but we are not inclined to tell you." Come a male voice from behind me. The girl also notices this and says,

"Soma! I didn't expect you to show up." The surprise in her voice tells me that this is not the person she was talking to on the device. I notice that he is also carrying an oversized weapon and intend to grab it for myself. But wait, her gun caused me pain so his sword or whatever it is probably will too.

"Why not? I was curious as to what the person that had killed multiple aragami without a god arc was like. I have to admit that I was expecting more from him." The man named Soma replies. He holds his sword in my direction when he sees that I have been staring at it.

"You like this? You can have one too if you come back with us." He says to me. I would have replied had it not been for the girl's voice again,

"We should wait until the professor comes before we do anything." This leads me to believe that it must have been the professor that was talking to her on the device. However, I ask in my usual tone,

"Why is it that you want me to go back with you?" I do not however get a response. With no response I feel more agitated. Clearly they heard me otherwise they wouldn't be looking at me. I am about to speak again when what I assume to be the professor comes into my line of sight.

"Ah good evening," he starts, "I am Professor Paylor Sakaki. I'm sure you have already met these two young ones. Tell me, have they told you anything about why we wish to speak with you?"

I respond with, "No. I had just asked them that before you showed up. Would you care to give me an answer?"

"Ah of course. Tell me what do you know about God Eaters?" Before I could answer he continues, "God Eaters are humanity's last line of defence against the aragami. Many of which you have encountered and not only lived to tell the tale but you killed them without a god arc. We were able to take a sample of aragami that you had slaughtered. You see, we were thinking that another breed of aragami had killed them but then we analysed the sample and found human DNA. Or more specifically, your DNA."

"How were you able to match the DNA with me? I doubt that I have ever touched anything that would mean that my DNA could be registered."

"Conveniently, your DNA is in our system, Winter."

"Okay, so you do have me in your database but you still haven't told me about why you wanted to speak with me. I reply to which he continues,

"We were able to analyse your DNA and discovered that you would be a match to become a God Eater. More importantly, a New-Type God Eater. This means that you will be able to fight the aragami with a crafted weapon. We wish for you to become a New-Type God Eater because, quite frankly, you would be the first of your kind in the Far East Branch. We believe that you could become one of the best God Eaters out there. After all you were able to defeat a cocoon maiden with a spear and numerous other types of aragami including a vajra."

I respond with, "So you call that a cocoon maiden? Makes sense I suppose. What is a vajra though. After all you did just say that I have defeated many aragami and I do not know what you call each of them."

"If you come back to the Far East Branch with us then you can see numerous types of aragami that we have in our database. Also, you will become a New Type God Eater and will be given a new home."

"And if I refuse?" I reply to which Soma responds with,

"Then we will force you to come back with us" However, it appears that he is the only on with that response as Sakuya says,

"We are not going to force you to join. However it will be in all of our best interests if you did." To which the professor chips in with,

"Sakuya is right. We will not force you. However we believe that you will be better off joining us as you will be given a home. Something which I am sure you do not have."

After a while of pondering my decisions I decided to join them. I mean what else could I want? I will have a home, food and I get to find those monsters. I was escorted into a room that has a large case in the middle. In this case I see what I now know is a god arc as well as two halves of the bracelet placed on the tops and bottom of the case. It is not hard to know what will happen. The case will shut and thus the bracelet will be locked onto my arm. It is at this point I hear,

"Terribly sorry to have kept you waiting. Allow me to bid you welcome. This is humanity's final fortress. The stalwart bastion of Fenrir. In this chamber, we shall test your compatibility to join the Anti-Aragami Punitive Force. The God Eaters."

That's strange, I think to myself, I thought that I was already compatible. Oh well, this is probably an introduction speech that they do for every new recruit.

"Please, do try to relax. I assure you there is nothing at all to fear. When you're ready, place your wrist into the device in the middle of the room."

In response to that, I head to the device and place my wrist into it when it suddenly closes down on my wrist. I knew this was coming and therefore didn't feel much pain. But it still hurt like a bitch.

"Congratulations are in order. You are the very first of our New Type God Eaters. Brilliant! You have passed the test, and well." The voice continues while I take a few practice swings of my new weapon.

"Now that we're certain you're a God Arc match, we must ensure your welfare with a short physical. Please wait in the lobby just beyond the door. The doctor will see to you shortly. And do let someone know if you feel unwell. I have great hopes..." The voice finishes. Wait, what do I do with my weapon now. Well, I guess I'll just have to carry it with me. I must admit that this weapon isn't really my type however I did hear that it is customisable. So I shall customise it later. For now though, I have a medical to go to.


	2. Chapter 2 - Introductions

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Chapter 2 - Introductions

Winter's POV

After leaving the chamber I decided to look around the new room I had entered. So this is the lobby I thought as I was looking around. I noticed that there was another occupant in the upper right of the room. To be honest, it would be quite hard not to notice him since he was wearing the brightest colours I have ever seen on a person. It looked to be a completely yellow outfit at first but I noticed that there were other colours on it. Not that the colours of his attire mattered however. Being the only other ooccupant that I could see, I decided to sit near him; hoping that he would initiate a conversation. Lord knows I am not the best at starting them. Thankfully though, he notied me and said in a friendlly manner,

"Sup! Want some gum?" Before I could answer him though he had already started searching his pockets for some gum.

"Oh, wait. Uh... Yeah, totally out. Hehehe! I kinda just downed the last piece." It was a good job for me that I didn't really want any. I decided to let him know that,

"It's fine. I didn't want any to begin with but thanks anyway."

"Well that's a relief," he began his reply, "I didn't want to make you think I had it out for ya."

"For offering gum you didn't have? Why would I get angry at you for that?" I responded.

"Nah, it's nothing. Anyway, you were a match too?" He asks with a hint of curiosity in his voice. I nod in confirmation.

"That makes at least two of us. How old are you anyway?" He asks another question to keep the conversation going no matter how one-sided it may be.

18 would have been my response but he continued,

"well, I've still got a nanosecond of experience on ya. Pleasure to meetcha." I nod back at him. From this one conversation I could tell that he is a talkative one. Very good, I think to myself, due to my taciturn nature I'm not very talkative around others. But since he is a talkative one others may just see it as him not letting me talk before he continues. As if reading my mind he says,  
"not a very chatty one are ya?" I would have gave him a response however we noticed a woman dressed in a white, and may I add revealing, outfit.

"Stand." She orders which elicits a confused 'huh?' from the guy on my right. Come to think of it I don't even know his name yet.

"Stand and to attention. Now!" She commanded and continued with, "Excellent. I've got a busy day planned, so we'll keep this quick. My name is Tsubaki Amamiya. I am the senior operator here at the Far East, and I'll be your advisor. Your schedule is as follows: a full medical workup followed by gamut of physical conditioning." She seems to be looking at me with what I believe to be sympathy in her eyes. Why is she looking at me like that? She continues her speech,

"You'll be taught basic combat strategies and tactics, then given a brief overview of God Arcs and armament. Until this moment, God Eaters have put their lives on the line to defend you. Now it's your turn to repay them. If you plan on staying alive, every order will be answered and enacted immediately, understood?" After a few seconds of silence she repeats,

"Am I understood?" To which the guy next to me straightens up and replies whilst I nod my head. She must have noticed that I didn't voice my agreement as she looks directly at me. Again with sympathy in her eyes. Why is she looking at me like that? She redirects her attention to the both of us and says,

"Better. Now, as to your exams. Mr Kota Fujiki your medical exam will take place after Winter's. You are to arrive for your medical at 1500 hours, am I understood?" The guy now known as Kota and I turn to each other as we now know each other's name. Nevertheless he replies almost instantaneously,

"Yes ma'am!"

"Good. Then you are dismissed." Kota hastily leaves and I see that he heads straight to the lift. Returning her attention to me,

"I have been notified of your situation." The noun 'situation' echoed in my had. What exactly was she notified of.

"Due to the special circumstance of you being requested to become a God Eater by Doctor Sakaki, you are to report to him after your missions. However, I will let you know that while I may not be in charge of you that does not mean that my services are not available to you. You must head over to Doctor Sakaki immediately am I understood?" To which I nod my head in response.

"Good. You are dismissed."

After finding my way to the laboratory, I entered. I see that the doctor I met earlier was waiting expectedly. As was another person whose identity I do not know.

"You are here precisely 190 seconds after I anticipated. I am guessing that you were held up on your way." Doctor Sakaki says to which I respond with,

"Yeah, I apologise for that. Apart from being unable to find my way around I was held back by a Miss Amamiya."

"Ah I am guessing that she told you that you are a special kind for having to report to me since I am the one who recommended you to become a God Eater." The doctor replies. A new voice enters the scene and I immediately recognise it as the voice that I heard when i was in the chamber,  
"And he was right to recommend you," he started, "I have seen your compatibility rating with the new God Arc and it exceeds expectations. My name is Johannes von Shicksal. I'm the Director of the Far East Branch, reporting directly to Fenrir. Once again, congratulations on your acceptance. I know you shall do great things in your time here. I shall now take my leave." Moments later it was just me and the doctor.

"Don't let the speechifying fool you. He's an ex-tech guy. No doubt the New Type medical exam is calling to him. He'll be interested in the results. Any questions before we start?" Sakaki asks.

"Why am I to report to you directly after my missions?" I ask.

"Well that would be because you were specially recommended by me to become a God Eater and therefore you report to me and only me."

"And I was recommended by you for my skills and compatibility with the new God Arc?"

"That is correct." He replies an continues with, "Now I believe we're ready to begin. Go ahead and lie down on the bed just there. As the exam begins you will feel a bit drowsy. I assure you there's nothing to worry about. When you awaken, you will be in your quarters."

"Unless the bed is also a teleporter, I would like to know how I will appear in my room when I awake." I state while also lying on the bed.

"It is nothing to worry about. If you so please you can stay in this bed until you awake." He replies.

"I would rather prefer that than appear in my room since I do not know how I will be moved into there from here. Were you planning on getting someone to pick me up and move me into my room?" I respond but he does not. His silence almost guarantees that I would have been moved into my room in someone's arms or on someone's back and I am uncomfortable about thinking about them situations and emit an involuntary shiver. Before I know it I am losing conscientiousness.

I can hear voices as I start to awake. The voices must have heard my movement as I hear a quick gasp of a woman and movement not caused by me. When I open my eyes I see a woman peering into my eyes as I awake and of course I am shocked at how close she is to me. I go to move but instantly regret it as my head bumps into hers.

"Ow!" We both shout as we feel the pain rising into our heads. Now that she is not directly in front of my face I can get a better look at her. The first thing I notice is how large her breasts are but more importantly, they were covered! The first woman in the den I meet that doesn't feel the need to show them off. However I find myself thinking that I wouldn't mind if she had shown them off. Taking my eyes away from her chest, albeit reluctantly, I notice that she has pink hair and a cute face.

"Kanon, Winter are you two alright?" Comes a concerned, but amused, female voice that I remember. I look for the owner of the voice to see Sakuya standing in front of the doctor's desk. Speaking of the doctor, he just appears to be watching with a smirk on his face. Anyway, I now know that the person that was peering into my soul is called Kanon. Weird name, I think to myself and notice that I am still to respond to Sakuya.

"I'm fine" comes the response from Kanon while rubbing her head. I think about apologising to the woman but she is the one who was leaning over me, something which I decide to tell her.

"Well it's the first time I've seen a boy wake up and I kinda leaned in too close." Kanon voices her response.

"Why are you two here anyway?" I ask to Kanon and Sakuya whose faces instantly lit up when I asked that question. Kanon probably thought I forgave her for leaning over me and indirectly caused herself to be hurt.

"We're going to show you around at the request of Doctor Sakaki." Replies Sakuya who takes my arm in hers. Kanon does the same thing with my other arm,

"Come on, let's go!" She responds without even trying to cover the excitement in her voice.

After being given a tour of the upper floors and being shown my room we arrive at the lobby floor. As I am shown around I notice that there are more occupants than there were before. I am soon told the names of the people that are currently present. The one behind the counter is called Hibari and I am told I will have to report to her to accept missions. I am also introduced to a few members of the Defence Unit named Tatsumi and Brendan and am also told that Kanon belongs to this unit. There wasn't much of a conversation between us but I am told that the Defense Unit prioritises the safety of civilians than the extermination of the aragami. I also notice that there is a man that appears to be wearing nothing more than a small jacket. Possibly so that he can show off his tattoos. I hated the way he would always flick his hair up every two seconds. He told me his name was Eric. Not that I would remember.

When we were finished in the lobby, Sakuya decided to leave the two of us,

"Hey guys, I'm going to have to leave you now. I've got to get ready for a mission."

"What are you going up against?" Asks Kanon to which her response is,

"A Borg Camlann. Me, Lindow and Soma are going against it. That's the first unit if you didn't know, Winter."

"I know now." I respond. "Watch out for the tail attacks and aim for the legs."

"Okay, so you've been against a Borg Camlann before?" Kanon asks. "But wait, I thought you were a new recruit. How come you've been against a Borg Camlann?"

"A story for another time." I reply but notice that Kanon is concerned. Trying to change the subject I wish Sakuya luck and she leaves, thanking me for my advice.

"So what should we do now?" Kanon asks.

"How about Dinner?" I reply.

"Sure! And you can tell me how you have been against a Borg Camlann before." She answers happily. Unfortunately for her though, I won't e able to tell her that. Still I wanted dinner so if she does ask about it I will probably just lie. I followed her to the cafeteria.


	3. Chapter 3 - First Mission

From the Start

Chapter 3 - First Mission

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Winter's POV

Strangely enough, Kanon didn't seem to bring the Borg Camlann story up. After we had entered the cafeteria we went straight to get something to eat. There were no other people in here at the time. Maybe they just like to have a later lunch. It is only 11:30 after all. But hunger waits for no one and we have now found a table to sit at. After placing my tray of food on the table and sitting down I had began to stare at the food. Kanon notices this and asks,

"Don't worry. It's edible." She must have been reading my thoughts.

"I thought that it wasn't edible when I first saw it either. But it turned out to be one of Doctor Sakaki's experiments." Kanon Continued.

"Experiments?" I repeat.

"Yeah. Doctor Sakaki has been trying to genetically modify foods to give the best nutrition available. Although, he doesn't really see the taste of these foods as important so they normally don't taste very good." Kanon answers happily.

"So what does this one taste like?" I enquire.

"Well, have you ever had chicken?" She asks.

"What's chicken?" I respond confused with her answer.

"You don't know what a chicken is? Well it just tastes like meat." Kanon answers with what looks like a hint of confusion. In the end though I decided to give the 'meat' a try. To my surprise it actually tasted rather good. Not that I could complain anyway, I was hungry.

"Looks like you enjoy that." Kanon asks with a smile on her face. I would have responded but I was too hungry to.

"Still, I am surprised that you don't know what a chicken is but you do know what a Borg Camlann is." She asks.

"Well there are a lot more Borg Camlanns about these days." I reply as I finish off the remaining pieces of meat.

"So tell me about how you know what a Borg Camlann is then." Kanon all but demanded.

"I checked the database on the terminal before I went for my medical." I lied. As if calling me out on my lie Kanon replies,

"Oh? I know you're lying. The database doesn't go into as much detail as to say that the legs are a weak point. Something which I didn't even know. I don't think that Sakuya knows that either."

"So you've caught my lie." I respond which gives Kanon an overly dramatic smile on her face.

"Of course I did. I have read through the database on aragami you know."

"Of course you have. You have been here for longer than me after all." I say.

"So are you going to answer me? And don't even try to lie." Kanon says with a bit of anger in her voice.

"Fine." I say but continue to lie. There's no way I am going to tell her the actual reason, "In the past, I have seen other God Eaters kill a few Borg Camlanns."

"Oh? What did they look like?" Kanon responds with curiosity lacing her voice.

"Erm... One of them had... Silver hair and um an eye-patch?" I answer but the intonation of my voice may have given away my lie. Unfortunately, as if the Gods were against me, a person of that description walked through the doors of the cafeteria. Kanon notices that I have seen the newcomer,

"Oh you must have seen Gina. Gina! Come over here for a second!"

The woman in question walks over to us. It was at this moment I knew I would not have a good day.

"Hey Gina! Did you know that our New-Type God Eater here had seen you fight a Borg Camlann?"

"Oh really?" Gina responds with a smirk on her face, "When was that?"

"Hey, I never said I saw Gina fighting a Borg Camlann. She just happens to match the description." I answer.

"Still though, when did you see a person matching my description fighting a Borg Camlann?" Gina asks with a larger smile on her face than before.

"sometime last year." I lie, there's no way they would know that though. They didn't know I existed last year. Gina sits down next to Kanon. I have the feeling that this conversation isn't over.

"So what happened when you had seen the Borg Camlann?" Comes a question from Kanon as she starts leaning forward. Gina must also be curious as she leans in towards me as well.

"Nothing happened. It didn't notice me." Gina seems deflated by my answer and shrinks back into her seat. Kanon, however, continues to question me.

"So how did you know that the legs of Borg Camlanns are a weak point?" I get the feeling that Kanon just wouldn't let me go on this.

"Well..." I start but am cut off by an announcement over the tannoy system.

"Winter, please report to God Arc Storage Warehouse 2 to start your God Arc training. I repeat, Winter, please report to God Arc Storage Warehouse 2 to start your God Arc training." Saved by the announcement it seems.

"Well I have to go now" I tell the two women.

"Be sure to tell me how it went later." Kanon replied.

"See ya around New-Type." Came the response from Gina.

Upon arriving at the God Arc Storage Warehouse I had seen another woman that looked to be a mechanic.

"Ah so you must be the New-Type." Is the greeting she gives me. "I am Licca Kusunoki and I am in charge of the maintenance of the God Arcs. Yours is a particularly good one since it has the ability to be a melee weapon, a ranged weapon and a shield all in one!"

"I was never told about that. Wow that is pretty cool." I respond.

"Pretty cool? It is amazing how far the God Arcs have came. Did you know that back in the day God Arcs only came in pistol form?"

"I did not." I respond with a surprise at how riled up she is getting.

"Well anyway. It is time for you to try out your God Arc. It is over here." We walked towards where my God Arc was held. It wasn't even 10 foot away from the door! It would be easy for me to find my God Arc.

"Now, if you keep walking down this path you will see a door on your right. Go through that because that is where you will be practising." Licca said. I walked until I got to the door, opened it and went through it. The room was actually a lot more spacious than I thought it would be. I had noticed that there were two ledges each at opposite sides of the room.

"Now stand in the centre of the room and wait for further instructions." Licca said over a tannoy system. And thus I decided to walk into the centre of the room whilst holding my God Arc. Strange name for a God Arc really, a Halberd P? Licca's voice came over the tannoy system again,

"The first rule of combat is this: knowldge of one's surroundings is the line between life and death. Take a look around." I took another look around.

"Excellent. Now, focus straight ahead once more." I followed Licca's orders and looked ahead.

"Second rule of combat: keep moving. However, know you limits! Movement requires energy and stamina. Keep an eye on your stamina levels. We can't have you fighting aragami if you are out of breath." Thanks for the advice, I find myself thinking, I know how to move.

"Go for a quick run. Get that heart rate up." Licca says and again I follow orders.

"All right. That seems like a suitable warm up. Now onto the basics of combat training." I see an aragami appear from the ground and immediately head to it with my Halberd P in hand. I start moving around the aragami and pierce it in multiple places.

"Hey wait!" Licca shouts over the tannoy system, "you're not supposed to do that yet." Her words fell on deaf ears though as I had already decimated the aragami and started searching it for something I could use.

"HEY!" Licca shouted oncce more, "Well since it looks like you have already got the basics covered, I want you to devour the aragami." I am confused and show it.

"Devour? What do you mean like that? I don't eat aragami!" I say.

"No but your God Arc does. Just focus and imagine a set of teeth coming out the end of your God Arc and aim it at the aragami." Even if I did know how to use devour it wouldn't matter as the aragami already began to sink into the floor.

"I am going to make another aragami appear. This time I want you to use your gun. Just focus on your God Arc and imagine that it becomes a gun." A few seconds later it had transformed into a gun.

"The gun you have equipped at the moment is a blast gun. I want you to kill the aragami using only your gun. Oh and you have another viewer by the way, so no pressure." Oh so I have two viewers, well let's give them a show to watch. I focus my God Arc at the new aragami that appears, it is the same as the last one, an ogretail if I am not mistaken. After I have shot three bullets, Licca's voice is heard again,

"Shooting uses Oracle Points which can be replenished by devouring your target. You may even get an aragami bullet whilst you devour it." Numerous hits and devours later the aragami is destroyed.

"It took you two minutes to kill the aragami with your gun but it took you 30 seconds to kill it with the Halberd P. You should focus on training with your gun more. But that ends today's session. If you can leave your God Arc in the case beside the door when you leave it would help a lot." Thus I leave the God Arc in the case and leave the room. I notice someone standing in the Storage Warehouse that I re-enter. He smiles at me and says,

"Evening Rookie. I am Lindow Amamiya."

"Any relation to Tsubaki?" I ask.

"Yeah, she's my older sister. Anyway enough with that. On paper I am your superior officer but I don't care for such formalities. You can call me Lindow."

"Good to meet you Lindow."

"Same here kid. Anyway I was watching you train."

"So you were my other viewer?" I ask.

"Yep. I think you're ready to go out on a real mission. I'm not sure how you became so talented in fighting but it's a good job that you are. Now I want you to come with me to defeat some real ogretails. Follow me to the helicopter. We're going to the Old City. Don't worry about your God Arc. Licca will have already gave it a check over during the time we've taken for this conversation." Just as he said that, Licca emerged from the training room,

"You can take your God Arc with you now. I've gave it a check and there is no damage. It is quite surprising for your first time using one."

"It's not the first time I have used weapons though," I respond. Licca and Lindow give me a neutral face. Probably thinking about my back story or lack thereof.

"So what is your name, Rook? I know that your codename is Winter and everybody calls you that..." Lindow begins.

"And that is how I will remain to be called. My name matters not." I respond in a calm and neutral voice to mirror the looks that the two people with me are displaying.

"Come on, not even a hint?" Licca asks but I could tell that one of the two would ask that.

"The only hint I will give you is that my forename begins with an 'H'." The two then tried to guess my name but i wasn't responding to either of them. In the end Lindow decided that they had wasted enough time and that the pilot of the helicopter was probably getting impatient. So we board the helicopter and wait to be dropped off.

"Is it Hank?" Lindow asks.

"Welll at least you have stopped guessing Japanese names" I reply.

"Ah so you're not Japanese." Is Lindow's response

"Nope, I am English. You know, from England."

"Makes sense I suppose, Winter isn't Japanese either." He replies.

"You're right about that." The pilot tells us that we should get off now as we have reached the landing point.

"Well come on Rookie. Those aragami aren't going to kill themselves." Lindow says.

"Actually..." I begin but Lindow cuts me off,

"Just come on." The pilot flies the helicopter away and I am given a lecture by Lindow. Something about the rules of surviving. I just nod my head evry few minutes or so.

"In this mission, I am going to let you take the lead. There's only one ogretail so you can handle it. If something bigger wanders here then I'll help you. Whenever you're ready Hagrid."

"Hagrid isn't my name either." I say as we both jump onto the floor from the ledge we were on.

"Okay Rook. Tell me what to do." Lindow says.

"Just stay behind me." I reply with a hushed voice. If the aragami heard us talking it would take away the element of surprise. After walking around for a minute, I see the ogretail.

"There doesn't appear to be any more of them here. I want you to wait here Lindow." I tell him still in a hushed voice.

"Okay Rookie. It's all you." Is his reply. I rush towards the ogretail and it doesn't notice me. It has its back facing me so I decide to jump and pierce my weapon into its back. It goes all the way through. Almost finishing it in one hit. However it still moves and I find it difficult to get my Halberd P out of it. In the end I can't get it out and am still stuck on what is left of the ogretail's back. I decided to switch to gun from whilst it is still stuck in the aragami and manage to pull out the thinner gun. I land on my feet and it turns around to face me. I decide to shoot two blaze mortars in its face. It falls over and collapses. I then devour it.

"Good job rookie." I hear, "I thought I would have had to step in and help you once your God Arc was stuck in the aragami."

"What stopped you?" I enquired.

"Doctor Sakaki told me you have been in a lot of bad situations so I wanted to know how you would get out of this one. And I have to say you are lucky to be a New-Type where your God Arc can transform between two weapons."

"Three if you count the shield as a weapon" I replied.

"Well either way I have already called for the chopper. So back to name guessing?"

"Really? Again?" I ask with an annoyed expression.

"Okay Henry if you would rather not..."

"It's not Henry either." It is at this point where we see the helicopter overhead. It lands and we are picked up. After a long ride back to the den because of Lindow trying to guess my name we see that Kanon is waiting for us.

"How did it go?" She asks to which Lindow responds with,

"Without a hitch. Hale even killed the ogretail in three hits."

"Hale? But I thought your name is Winter." Kanon enquires with a confused expression on her face.

"He's been trying to guess my name since I've met him. It really gets annoying." I reply.

"Well just tell him your name then." Kanon says.

"Don't take his side!" I all but shout towards Kanon.

"See. Three people want to know your name Rookie." Lindow states while mentioning to Kanon that Licca also wants to know my name.

"If you really want to know just look in the database" I tell them with the same annoyed expression.

"Already have." Replies Lindow, "The only thing in there is that you are Winter, joined in 2071 and report to Sakaki after every mission. Speaking of which, whouldn't you go and see him now?"

"Yeah, sure. Whatever." I respond.

"I'll go with you too." Kanon states whilst happily smiling with her eyes closed. Why did she have her eyes closed? I could have sneaked off.

After saying our farewells to Lindow, Kanon and I decided to head to Doctor Sakaki where I was foced to tell him about everything in the mission. Thankfully I prefer this over the alternative of writing reports in Japanese mainly because I cannot read or write in Japanese. I am just lucky that people have been speaking to me in English so far. I'll have to ask the Doctor if he can fix up a device that would let me understand other languages so that we can avoid any language barriers.


	4. Chapter 4 - First Lecture

From the Start

Chapter 4

"Speech"

'Thoughts'

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

In the dark atmosphere of the town, the only noises were the screams of its residents. Screams of terror as a monster had broken into their community. It appears that this monster had brought its flames with it. There wasn't a building in the town that was flame free. Everywhere you looked there would be flames. Flames that were engulfing buildings and had already taken countless lives. There was movement in the rubble of a collapsed building. A young boy of about 8 years emerged from the rubble littered with scars on his limbs. Fresh blood poured from his face and it appears that he is the only survivor that was in that building. Surely there would be other survivors in the town.

"One thing is clear," the boy starts in an emotionless whisper, "the town is not safe. I need to get out of here. If anyone has survived surely they would think to evacuate the town." The boy is just about to move towards the town's exit but the monster comes into view. The monster hasn't seemed to notice the boy yet and so he buries himself under the rubble of the building he had just emerged from. Through a hole in the rubble he can see the monster. It stood on two legs, had horns on its head and a dorsal hump. It was definitely a monster. The monster went onto all fours and a spiral of fire appeared under one of its arms. The spiral moved from under its arm and headed straight for the boy. Maybe it had seen the boy. Luck was on the child's side however as the spiral of flames became a tower of flames before it reached the rubble. After the flame show the monster moved away. Now was the time to make an exit!

After running past multiple wreckages the boy had reached the town's exit.

"Luckily nobody I know is in this town. Now it's just a case of finding somewhere safe." The boy spoke out loud. "It'll need to be far away from these ruins now that a monster of that size is in the area." The boy continued with no emotion in his voice but still wary of his surroundings. And then the boy started running. Running from the town that he had wandered into not so long ago.

Winter was awoken from his slumber from a few rapid taps at his bedroom door.

"Yo, Winter! You in there? We've got a lecture with Doctor Sakaki in like 10 minutes!"

Came the voice of Kota. It took a while for Winter to process his words as he had just woken up but once they did hit him,

"Damn it! I've got to get ready." Winter said to himself before shouting to Kota,

"Yeah Kota just go on without me!"

"K dude!" Kota shouted back before sprinting away from Winter's bedroom door. Winter finally had gotten up from his bed and put on his new attire which consists of Formal Top: Blue and Formal Bottom: Blue along with my glasses.

'It has been a long time since I decided to wear something formal. Oh well, I welcome a change every once in a while. Anyway, I suppose I had better go to that lecture now. I bet the Doctor is missing me.' Winter thought while locking the door to his room.

'It will be quite a trip to the laboratory from here in the rookie section. Oh well, I am going to be late anyway so it's not going to matter. I'll just take the lift.' Thought Winter.

Upon arriving at the laboratory Winter knocked on the door. There was a bit of shuffling in the laboratory when Winter heard a "come in" from the other side of the door. And so Winter walked in.

"Welcome back Winter, please take a seat." Came the usually cheery voice of Doctor Sakaki.

"Sure but where's Kota? He should have been here by now." Was Winter's response.

"It appears he hasn't..." Sakaki started before the door to the laboratory was rammed open.

"Sorry I am late Doctor Sakaki! It won't happen again!" Came a hurried response from Kota as he barged through the door.

"Of course, see to it that it doesn't." Was the doctor's reply. "Now we've got a lot of ground to cover, so what do you say we just jump right in?" The doctor continued while Kota took a seat.

"Now, what do you think an aragami is?"

'I wonder what the point of this lecture is' Winter thinks to himself. The confused look on Kota's face shows that he is thinking the same thing.

"Lots of words come to mind, 'the apex predator', 'the devourer of mankind', 'Gods given flesh'. Well those are all right, in a way. These phrases, while dramatic, aren't misconceptions. Rather you could say they simply evolve from wonderment. The speaker clearly has their eyes fixed on the phenomena before them. Today, we are striving for a deeper answer. Tell me, have you ever wondered from whence the aragami come?"

As if expecting an answer the doctor remained silent. Winter decided to speak up

"It was rumoured that the aragami came from a meteorite that was infested with oracle cells. However there has not been any record of a meteorite hitting the Earth for numerous years before the aragami appeared. This leaves two options. Either the aragami took numerous years to grow into the monster we know today or this theory is a load of..."

"Ah I am amazed at how much you know about the origins of aragami. Of course, that theory has not been proved to be true but that does not mean that it is not." Doctor Sakaki replied and cut short Winter's speech. Doctor Sakaki continued,

"History books tell us they just... Appeared. As though from the air itself. Since them their numbers have grown." Sakaki said as he paced his room.

"Strange, no? As though they are ripping through the very core of evolutionary process."

Kota yawned and voiced his opinion which grabbed Winter's attention.

"Hey, hey does this lecture have an intermission? Or a point? Our job's to kill 'em. What does it matter where they came from?" However, while he was talking he did not know that Doctor Sakaki had appeared behind him. Not even Winter's signal of staring above Kota's head alerted him to this which give him a shock once the Doctor started talking.

"Oh, it matters. Aragami have no heart. Neither do they have a brain, or a digestive system, or... spinal fluids. Frail humans we are, a powerful strike to the chest would cripple or kill us. But no, that won't bring down an aragami."

"Yeah, I've noticed. We do go out and kill them y'know Doc." Kota says most likely to make up for talking badly about the topic beforehand.

"Yes you do. You see these beasts are clusters of oracle cells, each individually a single-cell organism of its own, ever devouring the others. Mad? Ha! Perhaps. But each aragami is a colony of hundreds, nay, thousands of individual life-forms. Each striving to survive. And this dangerous, deadly, elegant fusion of cells cannot be destroyed by conventional weapons. They are impervious to all assault. So how then are we meant to survive? How can we defeat such a powerful predator?"

"Well, we could keep killing them with our God Arcs. However, there will be times when a God Arc won't be enough." Winter states.

"Precisely! A God Arc. A biological weapon infused with the same Oracle Cells that inhabit an aragami's body. That's the key. There will indeed be situations where a God Arc won't be enough however upgrading God Arcs may be the key to defeating the aragami. They are the only weapons capable of cutting through their ever-fusing Oracle Cells." The Doctor said with a happy smile on his face.

"Have you ever used any other weapons against the aragami?" Kota enquires.

"We have and they have failed miserably. In fact, Winter is the only known person to have killed aragami withoout a God Arc." Doctor Sakaki stated with his ever present mile on his face.

"Woah Seriously!" Kota exclaimed while looking over to Winter.

"I thought that was supposed to stay private Doctor!" Winter exclaimed with venom lacing his words.

"There was not a lot of information in the NORN database so I decided to include that little fact. It may make you more famous around the den. Besides, it has been up for at least 43,200 seconds which proves to me that you do not check the NORN database very often." Doctor Sakaki replied with the same smile on his face.

"You should have told me if you wanted more information in the database!" Replied Winter, "Wait what exactly does it say in my profile?"

"I'll bring it up on my handheld device. It has access to the NORN database." Kota said, still in shock about the fact that Winter managed to defeat aragami without a God Arc.

"Here it is," Kota started, "-Winter, real name unknown-." Kota puzzled by this asked, "Wait. Winter isn't your real name?"

"Keep reading Kota, what else does it say." Came the voice of Doctor Sakaki.

"Oh right, but we're not finished here 'Winter'." Kota replied before he continued reading the NORN entry, "The first New-Type to join the Far East Branch. Recommended by Doctor Paylor Sakaki after research about Winter showed incredible results which included Winter defeating multiple aragami without a God Arc and thus reports to him after every mission. Joined the same time as Kota Fujiki." Kota finished reading the entry.

'Oh God. Now Kanon will know that I killed that Borg Camlann without a God Arc.' Winter thought.

"Hey how the hell did you kill multiple aragami without a God Arc! You must be insanely powerful!" Kota excitedly screamed.

"Anyway, getting back to the topic at hand." Doctor Sakaki said.

"How can we when we know that this guy..." Kota started.

"So I am 'this guy' now?" Winter said.

"Oh, sorry about that. But what do we call you now." Kota replied with confusion marred on his face.

"Just keep calling me Winter." Winter responded to Kota before turning to Sakaki,

"See what you've caused now?" Winter said in a voice laced with venom.

"I admit that I didn't expect this much of a reaction. I will remove this bit of information quickly." Sakaki replied before walking to his desk to correct the database. "Let's hope that this information did not land in the wrong hands. Kota, you are to keep this to yourself, am I understood?"

"What? Why? Surely most of the den knows by now anyway..." Kota began.

"Am I understood?" Repeated Doctor Sakaki. With a sigh, Kota reluctantly agreed.

"In that case, this lecture is over. You are now dismissed." Sakaki stated. After the early ending to the lecture Kota and Winter left to go to the cafeteria. Where they met Kanon waiting for them.

Elsewhere in the Director's office, Johannes von Shicksal was sitting at his desk. He had received a notification on his database around 12 hours ago indicating that there was an update. He sat with his hands clenched into each other and a smile on his face. He received another notification minutes later indicating another update. The update had removed some of the information form one of his God Eater's profile. His smirk grew bigger. It appeared that this information was something that the God Eater wanted to keep a secret. After all, he is the only God Eater that reports to Doctor Sakaki after ever mission and now he knows why the doctor recommended him. It is not every day that a person is able to kill multiple aragami without a God Arc.

"Yes. This will work nicely." Came a snide statement from the Director.


	5. Chapter 5 - The First Death

From the Start

Chapter 5 - The First Death

"Speech"

'Thoughts'

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Entering the cafeteria, Kota and Winter collected their food and found a table. They did not even get to start a conversation when a woman with pink hair, massive breasts and a green medic coat caught their attention. Although the woman had a smile on her face the atmosphere around her would have put even the most fierce of Aragami to shame. Winter caught on quickly as to why Kanon was like this. After all, he did say that he had a run in with a Borg Camlann at one point and told her a lie as to avoid telling the truth. Now it appears that the cat is out of the bag.

'She must have checked the database on me,' Winter thought to himself while avoiding eye contact with the woman in question.

'She has a smile on her face." Winter pondered, "Hopefully that means that she won't be going too rough on me."

"Hi Kanon..." Winter attempted to greet the girl before she interrupted,

"Don't 'Hi Kanon' me!". As she said this she still kept her eerie smile on her face. The words uttered by Kanon made Winter think,

"I'm just glad Kota is here otherwise I'd be in real trouble.' As if reading the man's thoughts Kanon turned to Kota,

"Kota would you excuse us." Kanon said which sounded like a command with her ever-present smile on her face, "I'd like to talk to Winter for a bit."

"Yeah sure!" Kota practically jumped out of his skin to get away from her. He turned to Winter and whispered,

"You're on your own pal," before bolting straight towards the other end of the cafeteria where he would remain to finish eating, Winter's eyes trailing him as he ran off. When Winter returned his eyes to the woman who had now sat next to him without him knowing he had noticed that the smile had disappeared and was replaced with an angry expression.

"Hey Kanon, why are you sitting next to me?" Winter said with a panicked expression.

"Easier access to your throat!" Kanon all but screamed at Winter whilst raising her hands to her neck.

"Wait Kanon I can explain!" Winter spluttered out whilst being choked.

"You mean you can explain why you lied!" Kanon screamed whilst throttling Winter.

'Ah so that's what this is about,' Winter thought.

"Kanon! Stop! You're going to kill me!"

"Tell me why I should stop!" Kanon shouted back.

"I can't explain if I am dead!" Was Winter's response.

After another 10 seconds of strangling, Kanon reluctantly let go of Winter's neck. If anyone had looked at Winter they would be able to tell that he was being strangled. There were thick red marks around his neck and him gasping for air didn't help dissuade others either.

"Tell me why you lied then!" Kanon demanded.

"Are you sure you're willing to accept the consequences?" Winter said back in a serious tone.

"Consequences?" Kanon repeated with a puzzled expression on her face.

"If I am too tell you why I lied I am going to have to be brutally honest." was Winter's response still with a serious tone and a poker face to match it.

"yeah!" Kanon shouted with a tone that made Winter believe she was starting to regret her decision.

'I've already throttled him so I need to know the truth' Kanon told herself.

"Well brace yourself Kanon, I am going to be brutally honest with you." Winter replied.

Kanon did took a big breath which had made her chest rise upwards. Something that Winter took as her bracing herself.

"When I told you that lie, it was the first day we met. In all honesty I didn't trust you then and I still don't trust you now." Winter started and noticed a minor movement in Kanon's posture.

'Well, I told her to brace herself.' Winter thought before continuing his speech,

"Did you really think that I would spill all my secrets to a person that I've only known for three days?" Winter enquired.

"Well, no but..." Kanon started whilst fidgeting with the fingers before being interrupted by Winter,

"Just because you are friendly with me, it doesn't mean that we are friends. I hope you know that." Winter stated bluntly. This response had the intended effect as it could be seen that Kanon was holding back her tears. The only other occupant of the cafeteria, Kota, had been paying attention to them for a while. He had gotten up from his seat and headed towards the pair.

"We're not friends..." Kanon said whilst holding in a bucket of tears.

"No, we're not." Winter said, knowing that making the girl cry would keep her away for a long time and thus decided to add a little bit to the speech,

"Not yet at least." Kanon got up from the table and started walking away,

"Don't take it personally, I just have trust issues." Winter stated to make the girl feel slightly better. Winter would never know if this bit of information would even reach the girl as she was walking away. Kota had arrived just as she left. Judging by the look on his face he wasn't too pleased about what happened. Although he might not have heard the conversation he could see the effect it had on Kanon.

"What was that for man? You made her cry!" Kota shouted in a not so friendly voice.

"She wanted me to be honest and so I was," Winter replied still with s stoic voice. "If you want to know what was said go and talk to her." Acknowledging his words, Kota left to find Kanon.

Luckily she hadn't gotten too far away and Kota was able to catch up to her in the hallway before the laboratory.

"Kanon! Wait up!" Kota shouted while running towards her. Kanon had stopped and turned back to see Kota catching up to her.

"Kota?" Kanon sniffled out an inquiry.

"Yeah," Kota said whilst regaining his breath, "I wanted to check on you. I had seen that you left and it looked like you were almost crying. What did Winter say to make you feel like that?" At the mention of Winter, Kanon almost lost her fight to keep the tears in.

"He told me that he had lied to me because he didn't trust me and that we weren't friends." Kanon replied whilst attempting to keep her composure.

"Wait, there has got to be a reason why he said that. I know that Winter wouldn't say that without a reason for it." Kota responded with a puzzled expression on his face.

"He did tell me to not take it personally because he has trust issues." Was Kanon's reply although just repeating Winter's words was making her lose her composure more.

"Oh right. I'm sure there is a reason why he has trust issues. I'll try to get it out of him. I am his friend..." Kota started but was interrupted with an angry Kanon replying,

"Are you though? I thought I was his friend now look at me!" Kanon screamed which eared Kota a shocked expression.

"What's all this shouting about? Some people have important research to do" Came a response from Doctor Sakaki as he opened the door of his laboratory only to see Kota and Kanon with the latter on the verge of tears. As if knowing what it was about Doctor Sakaki sighed and said,

"Come into the lab you two" before he turned back with the door still wide open. Kota and Kanon decided to enter the lab because obviously the Doctor wanted to speak with them. As they entered the laboratory, an announcement was heard through the tannoy system,

"Winter. Please report to the main desk for the mission 'Corrupt Cocoon'. I repeat, Winter. Please report to the main desk for the mission 'Corrupt Cocoon'."

Winter arrived at the main desk and was given an insight as to what the mission entails by Hibari. Winter was also told to head to the roof as that is where the helicopter will be waiting for him with his God Arc already on the helicopter. Therefore Winter went straight to the roof after his mission briefing.

"Winter here" Winter said to the pilot, "Is this a solo mission or are we still waiting for someone?"

"Your partner is already at the Wailing Plains waiting for you. So it will be just you on the trip there." Was the Pilot's response.

"Great."

The ride to the Wailing Plains was a quiet one but a quick one nonetheless.

"We're here." The pilot said, "jump out, it's only a few metres to the landing spot. I'll keep this bird in the air.

'Lazy pilot' Winter thought to himself before jumping off the helicopter and landing on his feet with his knees bent while holding a God Arc on his soldiers.

"Ow, I probably shouldn't do that again," spoke Winter.

"Hurt yourself Winter? You're going to need to be more durable when fighting Aragami" came a woman's voice as Sakuya came into view.

"I think you know that you don't need to tell me how to fight Aragami." Came a smart reply from Winter.

"Good point." Sakuya responded with a smile on her face. "Now it might sound weird for me to say this but you've gotta stay relaxed when fighting Aragami. We don't want you to freeze up out there." An Aragami's roar was heard in the distance which shook Sakuya out of her cheery stance.

"You've got the lead today. I'll be handling the long range back up. So wherever you go, I'll follow. Just make sure to stay in my line of sight. I have no doubt that you would be able to kill these cocoon maidens single handedly but this will give you some experience of working in a team and with a proper strategy. Even though it is a basic strategy. Let's get out there and take those Aragami down."

A few minutes later and the two cocoon maidens were destroyed with their cores extracted.

"Good work newbie." Sakuya stated with a smile on her face, "I didn't expect anything less from you."

"Thanks. You know I have experience fighting cocoon maidens and that was without a God Arc." Winter replied with a stern expression.

"I know, but I've never actually seen you fight. If you remember, I came upon you after you had killed the cocoon maiden before."

"Yeah..."

"Anyway," Sakuya interrupted, "You need to be getting back. This isn't your only mission today you know. The helicopter you arrived on earlier will drop you off to your next mission. Don't worry though you shouldn't need to add anything to your God Arc."

As Sakuya said this the helicopter that had dropped Winter off earlier landed and picked him up. He said his goodbye to Sakuya and soon left for the next mission.

"Told you it wouldn't take long for you to complete the mission. Next up we're heading to Sunken Grid Where you will meet up with Soma and Eric." The pilot said

"Well this should be fun." Winter replied in a sarcastic tone.

"That's the spirit." Responded the pilot clearly not noticing that Winter's response was laced in sarcasm.

A 20 minute ride later seen Winter land at the Sunken Grid where he met up with who he assumed to be Eric. The guy in question had ran over to Winter as soon as he had noticed him.

'He's hardly wearing anything' Winter thought while having the displeasure of seeing the man's body covered in tattoos.

"Hey! What's up?" Eric started while repeatedly flicking his hair up with his free hand that was not carrying a God Arc. Winter noticed it was a shot gun.

"I assume you're the new star rookie everyone's been going on about. I'm Eric. That's right. Eric der Vogelwied. I suggest you do your best to emulate me. I've been out defending humankind for a while, and I think I know-"

"Eric, look out!" Soma interrupted. I looked up and noticed an ogretail heading straight for Eric.

'I kind of want him to die.' Winter thought to himself because of the arrogance that Eric held. 'However, it won't go down well if I let him.' Winter had looked back towards Eric who still hadn't moved. Soma was running towards them but he wouldn't make it in time. Therefore Winter, knowing this, moved forward and grabbed what little clothing the man had on and pulled him back with such a force that Eric landed a few metres away from Winter. The ogretail landed in front of Winter and growled. It may have caused some damage if Winter had not pierced it through the throat with his God Arc before switching to his gun form to fire a mortar in its face. The Aragami had died before Soma had even reached them.

"Nice one rookie." Was Soma's response.

"Yeah thanks a lot man. Although it's a bit embarrassing to have been saved by a rookie. If anyone asks, this didn't happen all right?" Eric said with an exasperated look on his face.

"Sorry Eric but this will have to go in all of our reports on the mission." Was Winter's response. An Aragami roar was heard in the distance.

"C'mon let's go. Rookie if you don't wanna die, stay out of my way." Soma stated as he headed towards where the roar came from. Winter and Eric followed.

A minute later they had found where the Aragami had congregated. There were two ogretails and 2 cocoon maidens. Soma spoke,

"Eric, you take the long range back up. Winter you take out the two ogretails and I'll get the cocoon maidens."

"Right" was Eric's response whilst a nod of the head was Winter's. Eric stayed back while Soma and Winter rushed forward. Soma climbed on top of the platform and started hacking away at the cocoon maiden whilst Winter charged towards one of the ogretails with his God Arc close to him. Winter made contact with one of the ogretails whilst the other ogretail was preparing to launch some spikes towards him. After dodging the other ogretail's spikes Winter had slashed the ogretail until it was lying on the ground. Winter dodged another set of spikes that was aimed at his head by the other ogretail and devoured the core of the ogretail he had defeated. Soma also appeared to have killed one of the cocoon maidens as he jumped from the platform and onto another. Winter had already ran to the remaining ogretail that had starting leaning on its tail and pounced towards Winter. Winter managed to put his shield up only seconds before the ogretail hit it. At that point Winter had disengaged his shield and starting piercing the ogretail. Taking substantial damage, the ogretail started running away. It was running towards Eric. A shout of ,

"Out of oracle points" came from Eric as the ogretail noticed him and lunged for his head. Eric, again, didn't move; frozen with fear. He was instantly decapitated as the ogretail bit his head off. Winter was never able to reach the ogretail in time as it lunged towards Eric. He did not let Eric's death get the better of him however as he had slashed at the Aragami's tail and gained its attention. The ogretail turned towards Winter and was met with a barrage of piercing attacks in its head that left it unable to move. Winter extracted its core before it had a chance to get back up. Winter then moved towards Eric's headless body.

"Well there ya go, welcome to this godforsaken place." Soma said as he caught up with Winter. "I hate being the guy to break it to you, but death is not so rare out here."

"I can see that" was Winter's emotionless response. He may not have known the guy for very long but he still died because of his error. Soma drew has God Arc and pointed it at Winter,

"Surprised? Afraid? Well what did you think it was gonna be?" Soma said

"I seem to remember that you were going to force me to join anyway." Came an emotionless response from Winter.

"Shut up. You're ruining my scary speech." Soma said. "Forget it, the time for mourning has come and gone. We've got to get back. Let's go." Soma started moving to the rendezvous point where the helicopter would pick them up.

"What should we do with his body?" Winter's almost shouted as Soma was getting further away.

"Do whatever! It's not up to me!" Soma shouted back. In the end, Winter had brought the body back to the den and was met with some unhappy faces.


	6. Chapter 6 - Dealing With Your Actions

From the Start

Chapter 6 - Dealing with your actions

"Speech"

'Thoughts'

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Also, please leave a review.

Winter's POV

The ride back to the den was a quiet one. It was even more quiet than the trip to the Sunken Grid. Even the pilot didn't try to speak despite the fact that at the end of the mission before this one, 'Corrupt Coccon' I think the mission was called, the pilot had made comments about how quick the mission was finished. Now though he hasn't said a thing. I'm not surprised though, I bet it is not every day that somebody brings a headless body into the helicopter. Soma was silent as well. But Soma was just being Soma which included being very anti-social.

By the time we reached the roof of the den somebody finally spoke. It was the pilot,

"If I were you, I'd cover the body in a bag before you enter." The pilot said in a quiet voice, breaking the silence before we, Soma and I, got off the helicopter.

"I'll leave it up here and grab a body bag." Was my monotonous response, "Soma, do you know where..."

"No I don't." Soma interrupted, "When I told you that you could do whatever you want with the body I thought you were just gonna leave it!" Soma continued.

"But he has a family right?" Was my monotonous reply.

"I don't know and I don't care to find out." Soma responded harshly before moving to enter the den. I, however, pulled the headless corpse off the helicopter and onto the ground before dragging it towards the door. Taking the pilot's advice, I decided to hide the body near the door and head into the den in search for a body bag. I noticed Tsubaki with her clipboard in her hand on the lower level and headed to her.

"Miss Amamiya..." I started but was interrupted by her in her usual tone,

"You've finished your mission? are to report to Doctor Sakaki immediately."

"But..." I started but was once again interrupted,

"Immediately!" Tsubaki repeated. But I was determined to tell her what happened and if she isn't going to let me speak then I'll just have to tell her through force. I raised my voice, not so that I was shouting but enough for people near us to hear,

"Eric's headless body is on the roof." I began and watched her slight squirm and twitch of her eye once she acknowledged my words, "I need a body bag." I continued with my stoic expression glued on my face. Unfortunately, my words attracted the attention of a child that I hadn't noticed when I entered. Judging from her shocked face and how the little girl was almost on the verge of tears I assumed that this girl was a relative of Eric. Now that I noticed the Den was significantly quieter than before. There was still noise on the upper level however on this level the was no noise.

"Winter." Came a voice that did not belong to Tsubaki. I turned to where the voice came from and saw Hibari looking directly at me from behind her desk and thus moved towards her.

"You should have reported that to me." Hibari said with a depressed tone.

"Sorry about that. I didn't know." Was my response.

"Since this is the first case it is fine." Hibari replied still in a depressed tone and a face to match.

"First case?" I repeated with a hint of surprise and confusion in my voice.

"The first case somebody brought a body back." Hibari responded, to my surprise.

"So where can I find a..." I began before being interrupted by the young girl from before,

"It's all your fault!" I turned towards the sound of the voice to see the girl at the legs of the a significantly older man.

"I am sorry..." The man said as he turned his head to look me in the eyes before being interrupted by the child.

"Don't apologise to him! It's his fault!" The child screamed which grabbed the attention of those on the upper level which had started accumulating at the top of the stairs.

"Listen Erina!" The man shouted towards the girl, "Wait outside in the ghetto while I talk to this man!" The girl, upset, ran towards the door to wait in the ghetto. Once she had gone the man turned his attention to me. Hibari pretended to look busy as the man came towards me.

"I am shocked and upset that he died." The man began once he had reached me, "My son, he must have caused you some trouble" The man said between sobs. With everyone still able to see us, it was a shock that the man suddenly hugged me and released tears on my shoulder while saying,

"I am thankful that you brought him back. You are a good man." He kept repeating this until he realised that he had started crying on a stranger's shoulder.

"I will have a helicopter pick him up from the roof in the next few hours. Would you mind waiting on the roof?" The man said as he stepped back from me.

"Of course." I say in a calm voice. I didn't want the man to start crying again.

"Thank you. Please, cover him." The man said before leaving to find Erina whilst communicating on a phone. Probably to call for the helicopter.

"Winter." Hibari said bringing me my attention back to her, "You can get a bag from Doctor Sakaki." She said still depressed.

"You handled that situation well." Tsubaki came into the conversation, "See to it that you wait on the roof until the body is picked up." Tsubaki continued before moving to the upper level and into the lift, my eyes following her as she left.

"I have told Doctor Sakaki that you will be heading to his laboratory." Hibari said as I brought my eyes back to her. "You should head there now."

"Will do." Is my response and I start moving towards the upper level as people move out of my way. They had began whispering to each other a while ago but I chose to ignore it. However, when it is the only thing you can hear you have no choice but to listen.

"He brought back a headless body." Was one of the whispers I heard as I headed towards the lift. I noticed it was said by a guy wearing a green jacket and a cap.

'Was it wrong for me to bring the body back' I found myself thinking while waiting for the lift to reach my floor from one of the upper floors.

'It couldn't have been wrong. The man was thankful that I brought it back.' I continued to think as the lift arrived. I entered and pressed the button for the laboratory floor.

As the lift had stopped at the laboratory floor and the doors opened, I had noticed that the door to Doctor Sakaki's laboratory was open. There was no one else in the hallway apart from me. This lead me to suspect that the Doctor was expecting me. But even if he was, I wouldn't have thought that he would have his door open. I decided to head straight towards the lab so that I could obtain the body bag before somebody would stumble upon Eric's headless body. Moving towards the lab I could hear nothing. In fact the only sound I could hear was that of somebody typing on a keyboard. The sound had gotten louder as I was right outside of Sakaki's lab. Therefore leading me to believe that Sakaki was working.

"Doctor Sak..." I began.

"Enter Winter." Doctor Sakaki interrupted and so I entered. Upon entering I had noticed that Doctor Sakaki and I were not the room's only occupants. I noticed that Kanon, Kota and Sakuya were also present and they were comforting Kanon who appeared to be having a breakdown. They did not look at me but Kanon did. Her eyes were full of tears and her bottom lip was trembling. Her arms but held together at the elbows and were in front of her chest. To describe it, it looked more like she was desperate for the toilet but it was occupied. Clearly she was trying to refrain from crying.

'She is either upset over what I told her earlier or she is upset about Eric's death' I thought to myself. I couldn't get a better look at her though as Doctor Sakaki wanted my attention,

"Winter, here is the bag. I wish to speak with you after he has been picked up." Doctor Sakaki said as he gestured to the couch on the other side of the room.

"Okay" was my reply as I had made my way to the couch, picked up the bag and left the laboratory.

"That was weird." I whispered to myself, "The news must have spread quickly. I wonder if they know that I brought the body back." I continued to whisper as I made my way back to the lift, stepped inside and pressed the button for the roof.

Once the lift had stopped at the roof I had gotten out and noticed that there was nobody else around, thankfully. Thus I decided to head straight to where I hid the body and put it into the body bag. I then decided to wait in plain sight so that I could see when the helicopter would arrive. I do remember that there are still a few people still on missions and they will be arrive back at the den in a means that I will have to see who the occupants of the helicopter are before I remove the body from the hiding place. Now that I look around the roof, I notice that there wouldn't be much places to hide a body. There were three helipads, one of which had a helicopter on them. But other than that, there were two blocks of bricks. One of which the body is behind. I look back into the air and notice a helicopter coming into view. It is quite the distance away but should arrive in about 5 minutes. Sure enough, 5 minutes later the helicopter landed.

"Hey rook. What are you doing up here?" Lindow asked as he got off the helicopter with his God Arc in hand.

"Waiting for someone." Was my reply.

"Who is this someone?" Lindow responded as he came closer to me.

"Someone that Eric knows." I said as Lindow stopped in front of me.

"Why?" Lindow enquired.

"To pick up his headless body." I replied in a monotonous voice.

"Is that a joke, rookie? Because it isn't a very funny one." Lindow responded.

"No joke. You wanted to know why I am waiting." As I say this I notice another helicopter in the distance.

"In fact, that could be the person that I am waiting for." I continued.

"You're serious about this rookie." Lindow said as he stood beside me to see the helicopter.

5 minutes later the helicopter landed and the man from before jumped out of the helicopter.

"Ah young man. I trust you have taken care of him." The man said.

"You were serious" Lindow whispered to me.

"I have," I said to the man before turning to Lindow, "Lindow, help me carry him." I continued as I headed towards where I hid the body.

"Sure," Lindow responded as he put down his God Arc and followed me. I moved behind the block of bricks and waited for Lindow to catch up. When he did we lifted the black bag and headed towards the helicopter. As we were putting the body in the helicopter the man said,

"I thank you two gentlemen. I wish you all the best." The man said as he got into the helicopter with his son's body.

"And Winter. Don't worry about Erina, she'll get over it eventually." The man said before he told the pilot to drive elsewhere. Once the helicopter had left Lindow said as he headed towards his God Arc and picked it up,

"Sorry about that rookie. I didn't expect you to see your first dead companion so soon. Should we head back?"

"Yeah, Sakaki wants to meet with me. I don;t know why though." I replied.

"Man, it sounds like you're in trouble." Lindow said as we headed towards the lift.

"Yeah" I replied as I pressed the button for the laboratory.

I got off the lift once I reached my floor and said a goodbye to Lindow. The door to the laboratory wasn't open anymore so I knocked and asked,

"Doctor Sakaki?"

"Come in Winter" was the Doctor's response. So I entered. I noticed that this time, we were the only occupants.

"Take a seat Winter. You'll be here for a while." Doctor Sakaki said with his usual smile and so I decided to sit down.

"First, your mission report. Or reports should I say. Tell me about the mission called 'Corrupt Cocoon'?"

"Sure. Well upon arriving, Sakuya told me about what a cocoon maiden can do." I began.

"Which you already have knowledge of, yes?" The Doctor interrupted.

"Yes." I started, "Well, we killed the cocoon maidens and I was told that I have another mission."

"Ah yes." Doctor Sakaki responded, "With Soma and Eric?"

"Yeah. Eric greeted me and narrowly avoided death when an ogretail lunged at him. Soma told him to stay back and shoot since his God Arc was a long range God Arc. I was told to take care of he ogretails while Soma took care of the cocoon maidens. One of the ogretails got away and ran towards Eric where he was decapitated when the ogretail bit his head off."

"That is enough Winter." Sakaki interrupted.

"What happened this morning? With Kanon." Sakaki continued to which I replied matter of factly,

"She wanted the truth and I gave it to her."

"You should know that she was distraught once she entered the laboratory with Kota. Then once Sakuya came back from the mission she came up here and noticed Kanon. Right now they are trying to make her feel better. You need to make this right." Sakaki said while frowning.

"I'll try to make it up to her." I responded.

"Good. Anyway it is time for a lesson. We just need to wait for Kota to show up. I'll see if Hibari can contact him." Sakaki said as he headed for his desk.

Soon enough, Kota arrived and sat next to me.

"Dude, we need to talk after this." Kota whispered moments before the lecture began,

"Let's begin with a concept. Arcology. In essence, a building completely self-contained. But that's not all." Sakaki began, "Self-sufficient as well, both in production and consumption therein. Of course, the best example is here. The Fenrir Far East Branch, with the Den at its core, is an Arcology." Sakaki continued as a screen behind him showed images of the Far East Branch.

"In any situation, no matter how extreme, we could survive alone. Even should all the remaining Fenrir structure collapse. Our status as an Arcology would ensure that we could live on just as before. Still eat, work, and fight, all based on our own production."

'Even when the first tastes so bad' I thought as Sakaki continued his lecture.

"Beneath the Den is a fully equipped plant that produces food, God Arcs and any needed material for the people of the branch. Atop all that, we are supremely defended. An Anti-Aragami Wall lines the perimeter, and we boast the strongest God Eaters squadrons. That, in a nutshell, is the Far East. A powerful and complex Arcology optimised solely for the protection of humankind."

Kota yawned and I spoke up,

"I seemed to be doing fine outside of the walls." That grabbed the attention of Kota, who looked at me, and the Doctor who responded,

"Yes but you are very well skilled in combat and were able to fight for yourself. Now if I may continue," Sakaki started which brought Kota's attention back to him as I nodded.

"Unfortunately, we are still plagued by a number of issues. Foremost among them is that we simply cannot house all our citizens. I am certain you've seen the vast Outer Ghetto. A collection of ramshackle housing that lies just beyond the core of the branch. We would love to have those people inside, but the fact is, we simply don't have the room to accommodate. I am afraid that the best we can do now is surround that ghetto with a larger Anti-Aragami Wall. Options are limited.

"I don't know if that's enough," began Kota, "The armour has been breached a whole lot lately. Never bad, but still..."

"Which is precisely why we have the Defence Unit stationed there. Our strongest shield. Oh, goodness me, you were born in the Outer Ghetto, weren't you, Kota? My apologies, I did not mean to dismiss your fears so lightly."

"Oh, no! It's not a problem." Kota replied.

"Actually, there was a plan to expand the interior of the Den. We were going to build another layer down for new residents."

"But it never came through," Kota interrupted Doctor Sakaki, "The Aegis Project picked up, and that's supposed to make us all much safer anyways." Kota continued. However, I decided to speak up before the lecture continued,

"What's the Aegis Project?" I enquired which made Kota turn to look at me shocked and the Doctor reply,

"I'll tell you about it some other time Winter. But yes, exactly. A massive majority of Far East resources and the underground plant are being dedicated to help construct the Aegis. But like I said earlier, that is a topic for another time. Anyway you are now dismissed."

The Doctor spoke once again as Kota and I headed for the door,

"Oh, one more thing, there is to be a new arrival in the upcoming days. From Russia. I want you both to make her feel welcomed." Kota and I then left the laboratory.

"So, you wanted to talk." I ask Kota.

"Yeah but let's talk in the cafeteria. It's almost time to eat." Kota replied and so we headed to the cafeteria.


	7. Chapter 7

From the Start

Chapter 7

"Speech"

'Thoughts'

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Also, please leave a review.

Winter's POV

Once Kota and I had made it to the cafeteria we went straight to order some food. The food that we were given this time actually looked edible. Fair enough it was just vegetables but at least it wasn't one of Doctor Sakaki's experiments. Once we had received our food we went to find a table. Luckily there was nobody else in the cafeteria so every seat was available. Therefore Kota and I chose a table towards the back of the white-walled cafeteria so that there was little chance of anybody overhearing our conversation. Each table could hold six seats I noticed as there were three on either side of the rectangular table. The table we had chosen was directly in front of the one window that I could see and thus there was little natural light in the cafeteria. It was mostly all artificial light. I sat in the middle seat on one side and Kota sat opposite me.

"Right, let's talk." Kota said in a 'we've got business' voice.

"You haven't even took a bite out of your food yet." I said back to him in a surprised tone as I would have thought that he would eat something before starting a conversation.

"Food can wait. Besides, most vegetables taste better when they're cold." Kota replied and used body language to further express himself.

"Kanon told me what you said." Kota started and I kept quiet so I could let him finish.

"As you could tell, she was very upset. Now I know that you said you were being brutally honest but you need to make it up to her." Kota stopped to let me speak.

"That's what Doctor Sakaki said as well." I replied in an annoyed tone since this is the second time today I have heard that speech.

"She may not get over it very quickly but it would be best for you two to make up. Me, Sakuya and Sakaki may have said a few things which I just want to warn you about."

"Why do you need to warn me?" I enquired with a confused expression plastered on my face.

"Well some of the things that were said included how you were found to become a God Eater. Cool story by the way." Kota began but I interrupted,

"What! I'm gonna kill both the Doctor and Sakuya for mentioning such things!" I shouted which may have brought some attention as I had heard the sound of the cafeteria doors opening. Then again, they may just be here for something to eat. It is around that time after all.

"Okay, calm down dude!" Kota shouted, clearly fearing for his life.

"Dude, I am calm!" Although even though I now realise that I am not calm and thus try to calm myself down.

"Just make sure you don't upset someone like that again, Winter. I'm sure you noticed that she was shaking in her boots when you came in for that body bag." At Kota's words I find myself calm enough to answer,

"Yeah. But was Kanon really crying that much because I upset her?" I ushered in a tone slightly above a whisper as I had started to feel slightly depressed.

"Well, no." Kota started which raised my mood from slightly depressed to sad although I never showed these feelings. Kota continued,  
"Although what she was crying over still involves you in a way." I was confused. What else had I done? Kota carried on when he saw my confused face,

"I'm sure you know that the reason she was hanging around you is that she thought that she was your friend." Way to make me feel the guilt even more Kota.

"Well, she was upset that you had already seen a comrade while on the field. When you came into the lab for the body bag, she looked at you to see your expression. Your emotionless response didn't help her. She was even worse once you left." Wow, I upset her even more without realising it.

"How are you by the way?" Kota asked me, "you know, seeing somebody die like that."

"I'm the same as usual." I reply with my ever-present stoic expression. "I met the guy's father and sister. The sister was distraught but the father was more, what's the words, emotionally stable."

"Yeah I heard about that." Kota said. He continued but I heard two sets of footsteps getting louder. I was starting to regret choosing a seat that was facing away from the cafeteria's doors.

"Word gets around fast in here. Apparently you were waiting for the guy's dad on the roof." The sets of footsteps stopped as I felt a woman's, slender, right arm around my shoulders and the owner of the arm sat on my left whilst the owner of the other set of footprints sat on my right.

"Yeah, that's what I heard." Came the voice of the female that sat on my left before I grabbed her hand and moved it above my head and then turning towards her to put it back at her side.

"I think you dropped this." I said jokingly to the eye-patched woman with silver hair, not wanting the conversation to continue with the addition of the newcomers. The woman that sat on my right also had a tint of silver hair but she was wearing work gloves and strangely enough eye protectors on her head. I met her as well, just before Lindow wanted me for my first actual mission.

"Time for you to let go of his shoulders Gina. It looks like he doesn't like it." Licca said in a her usual voice as well as a hint of playfulness in it.

"Oh but we were having fun." Gina said in a playfully sad tone. Thankful for the distraction from the main topic though I decided to speak up,

"It's not that I don't like a woman's touch. It's just that I don't want it to be from a stranger."

"But I'm not a stranger." Gina started with a smirk on her face, however I saw my cue for a joke,

"Stranger danger! Stranger Dang..." I shouted before Gina put her hand over my mouth to stop me from saying anything more. This earned us a few laughs in response from Kota and Licca. Once Gina realised that I wasn't going to shout that again she removed her hand from my mouth and spoke up,

"Besides we're not strangers. We met yesterday, right here in the cafeteria in fact." She then moved to whisper into my ear,,

"and we met last year, didn't we?" She whispered recalling the lie that I told Kanon.

"What was that whisper about?" Kota asked wanting to participate in the conversation. Before I could respond, Licca spoke up,

"No idea but they seem close, Kota. Maybe we should move so that we don't disturb them." Licca said which produced a visibly surprised expression on my face. Something which Licca noticed.

"Hahaha, that's the first expression I've seen on your face. Hahaha" she continued laughing. Gina also spoke up seemingly to keep this surprised expression on my face, and it worked,

"Yeah, why don't you two go somewhere else while we get more acquainted." Before this got more out of hand I gobbled up my food and headed straight to my room. When I left the cafeteria I could still hear them laughing. Luckily I won't have to deal with anything else like this today.

Upon entering my room I decided to check the terminal on the people that I know.

Kota Fujiki (15 y.o.)

Joined Fenrir Far East Branch in 2071.

Assigned to the 1st Unit.

Born: June 20, Height: 163 cm

God Arc: Assault (Old-Type, ranged)

"Hasn't caused any major problems in actual combat so far, but his lack of concentration during drills and lectures is a cause for concern. Thos who join him on missions should stay on their toes" - Tsubaki Amamiya

"Interesting" I say to myself. This will give me something to annoy him with.

"Who should I check next? Ah, how about Gina."

Gina Dickinson (22 y.o.)

Joined Fenrir Far East Branch in 2066.

Born: Aug. 11 Height: 172 cm

A God Eater in the 3rd Unit. Has above-average skills, but often takes reckless actions that puts her life on the line.

God Arc: Sniper Old-Type, ranged).

'Five years of experience. Wow. Impressive' I think to myself. Who next?

Licca Kusunoki (18 y.o.)

Joined Fenrir Far East Branch in 2069.

Born: July 22, Height: 150 cm

A mechanic who has worked in the God Arc Maintenance Unit at Fenrir Far East Branch ever since her days at Kuromatsu High School.

Officially assigned 2 years ago, she already has more than 5 years of experience as a crew member. Her late fatehr was also a Fenrir engineer whom she has taken after.

'Licca sounds like an enthusiastic girl. It will be best if I get along well with her. She is in the Maintenance Unit after all.' I think to myself.

"It's getting quit late" I say to myself as I realise that it is 9 o'Clock at night. "One more entry then I'll go to bed. I also need to think about how I'm gonna cheer Kanon up as well. There's an idea! I'll check Kanon's entry."

Kanon Daiba (19 y.o.)

Joined Fenrir Far East Branch in 2070.

Born: Feb 28, Height: 165cm

A God Eater with the 2nd Unit.

Although she is highly compatible with the bias factor, she is often guilty of friendly fire during drills.

God Arc: Blast (Old-Type, ranged).

"She's the same age as me." I say to myself as I read over her entry again, "oh so she is prone to friendly fire. I know, I could help her with her accuracy!" I say to myself as I turn off the terminal and head for my bed. I find myself unable to stay awake as soon as my head hits the pillow.

The next morning, I am awoken by an announcement over the tannoy system.

"Winter, please report to the main desk for mission briefing. I repeat, Winter, please report to the main desk for mission briefing." I reluctantly roll out of the bed and look at the digital clock that hangs above the door. I notice it reads 6:00.

"How early so missions start here?" I ask myself while putting on my Petunia Pants and my Blue Officer Top. Once fully clothed I run out of my door, lock it and run into the lift so that I can get to the front desk.

Once I arrived at the front desk I noticed that Kota was waiting there. I enquired as to his presence but Hibari answered instead,

"You two are going on a mission to fight a Kongou. This will be your toughest opponent yet so don't let your guard down. Apparently, hitting it in the face is an effective area."

"I would imagine so." I replied.

"The helicopter is waiting on the roof. Go and take care of the Kongou now." Hibari said in an 'all-business' tone. I notice that Hibari always seems to be here and ask,

"Do you sleep behind that desk, Hibari? Every time I see you you are always behind that desk."

"I get up very early" is Hibari's reply, "Now get to the helicopter." As she says that Kota and I run to the lift and reach the roof where we climb into a helicopter that looks like it is about to take off. It was a silent trip to the Wailing Plains but once we reach the landing spot Kota asks, with his God Arc in hand,

"Winter, where's your God Arc?"

"Shit!" is my response as the helicopter has already flown away.

"Wait! You don't have it? Then what are you..."

"We need to find a Cocoon Maiden and kill it quick. Help me out with this Kota, I know what I am doing." I told him.

"Can't we get the helicopter to..."

"There's no time for that. The Kongou could have disappeared by the time we come back. Trust me, we just need to kill a Cocoon Maiden. Ah look there is one." I point towards a Cocoon Maiden and tell Kota to fire at it. Luckily a few mortars was all it took. I gave Kota a few O-Ampules that I had on me and went straight for the Cocoon Maiden where it had unsheathed all of its spikes.

"Kota, I need you to fire another mortar at it." I tell him in a whisper as the Kongou might be close.

"Right, here we go." Kota fires and the Cocoon Maiden drops a few of its spikes.

"Great! Now Kota, be a lookout while I get more of these spikes and turn them into spears."

"Aye aye." Is Kota's response.

A few minutes later and I have taken all of the Cocoon Maiden's spikes and worked them into multiple spears.

"I admire your crafting." Kota states to which I reply with humour in my voice,

"Of course. This is how I survived without a God Arc." A roar catches our attention as a Kongou jumps from higher land.

"Kota, I need to be very close to the Kongou now that I have these spears. I need you to keep shooting at and try to break any bonds. Try not to hit me." I say before I rush off towards the Kongou. The Aragami stands on its hind legs and pounds at its chest. It then looks like it is about to pounce when I notice that there is a lot of wind accumulating in front of me. I evade the wind and rush to the Kongou's face. It seems to not expect this however as it jumps back in surprise. I notice a few bullets go shooting passed me and into the Kongou's face. It seems ineffective though so I, with spears in my hands, continue sprinting straight towards the Kongou where I manage to connect my spears with the Kongou's eyes thus blinding it.

"Winter!" I hear a shout and take my yes off of the blind Kongou and look towards Kota,

"Did you shout?" I ask but he refuses.

"Winter!" I hear again, "Disengage from combat. Licca says you have left your God Arc here!"

"Hibari?" I answer.

"Disengage from combat!"

"Don't panic Hibari, the Kongou is almost dead." I shout into the air still unsure of where her voice is coming from before turning to Kota and commanding, "Devour it now Kota, while its blinded with my spears!"

"You fought a Kongou with spears!?" Came an angry shout from Hibari, "How did you even get spears?" After finding the source of Hibari's voice through a device on the massive wristband I was given to come a God Arc I check to make sure that Kota has devoured the Kongou's core before replying.

"Finally found the source of your voice..."

"Never mind that! Answer the question!" Comes another angry shout from Hibari. So i did,

"I extracted the spikes of a nearby Cocoon Maiden..." I started but was interrupted by Hibari's shouting,

"You did what? I am going to have to tell your supervisor that not only did you leave here without a God Arc, you killed a Kongou with spears!"

"Oh okay." Is my response.

"Hey Winter, ask about the helicopter." Kota said as he ran over to me.

"Oh yes. Hibari we need picked up. Can you send a helicopter over."

"Yeah sure." Hibari said. "Now that I think about it, you could have been infected with Aragami cells. You will need to get to the medical bay ASAP!" Hibari shouted. "Although I am impressed that a rookie killed a Kongou with spears." A lot of voices could be heard over the device, mainly Tsubaki's. Obviously, Hibari's shouting must have attracted a lot of attention. By the time Hibari had used the device again, Kota and I had been picked up from the Wailing Plains and were headed straight for the Den.

"New orders have been received. Winter, you are to report to Doctor Sakaki immediately upon arrival at the Den. You are to bring any remaining Cocoon Maiden spears with you."

"New orders huh? Sounds like the same orders that I have received on previous missions" I speak to myself but Kota overhears and replies,

"I'm not surprised, I do know that you report to the Doc but this is the first time I have seen somebody fight a Kongou without a God Arc. I'm glad you are on our side. I feel safer knowing that you have my back."

"That's quite the dramatic response don't you think?" I enquire.

"No way dude. You're going to be a celebrity when we get back to the Den." Kota replies. The rest of the journey was a quiet one.

Upon arriving back at the Den, I headed straight for Sakaki's laboratory and was lucky not to run into any people on the way there. Like Kota said before 'Word spreads quick here.' Opening the door to the laboratory I noticed that there were more than a few familiar faces in there. Doctor Sakaki was one, sitting behind his desk with Tsubaki in front of his desk. Kanon and Sakuya were on the right and Lindow and Soma were on the left. Once I walked in though the latter four all started talking at the same time. Their questions were never answered, or understood, as Doctor Sakaki ordered,

"Right everyone, time to leave. I do have a medical to conduct." I moved out of the way of the door. Soma went first, then Lindow and then Sakuya. Kanon was next but she halted before fully leaving the room and it looked like she was going to say something, fidgeted with her hands, then thought better of it and left. She looked worried though. Tsubaki had the nerve to talk to me before she left,

"I want to see you after the medical..." she began but Doctor Sakaki interrupted,

"That won't be possible, Miss Amamiya. He will remain unconscious for quite some time after the medical. I doubt he will be awake before tomorrow." That worried me as it was only 8 o'Clock in the morning.

"In that case, I wish to speak with you tomorrow." Tsubaki said as she left. I closed then laboratory door and asked Sakaki,

"Why am I going to be unconscious until tomorrow?"

"The medical exam needs to be thorough so that we can identify if you have been infected with Aragami cells. Now move onto the bed and let's get started." Doctor Sakaki replied with his ever-present smiling face. Thus I moved towards the bed and lay down.

"As I said before you will not awaken until tomorrow. I assume you wish to stay here?"

"You assumed correctly." I said before getting comfortable. If I'm going to be here a while I might as well be comfortable.

"Excellent. When you awake just knock on the door and I'll release you." he said before I was given sleep inducing pills.

Usual POV

12 hours later, Johannes entered the laboratory.

"How is he Doctor? Have there been any mutations?"

"His cells are indeed fascinating. There has been no mutations caused in this instance. However, his cells aren't exactly human. All of his cells have elements of Aragami cells and it appears they have been for many months." Sakaki responded with a smile on his face.

"What does that mean Paylor?"

"It means that he is stronger than any regular God Eater as is proved by his ability to utilise Aragami tools, such as the spears he crafted out of a Cocoon Maiden." Sakaki gestured to the spears that were laid on his desk.

"Have you analysed these spears?" Johannes replied.

"Oh yes and there has been a remarkable discovery." Sakaki almost shouted.

"Do tell, Paylor." Johannes responded with his patience wearing thin.

"These spears have his cells all over them." Was Sakaki's response.

"So the Aragami was still eating him?" Johannes enquired.

"No, in fact, the weapons were moulding themselves into Winter's cells. I believe that if we let him continue killing Aragami without a God Arc then his cells will mutate further. I have taken multiple blood samples to test this theory. I am to soak these spears in these blood cells to see if there is any change."

"Why are you doing that?" Came a puzzled expression from Johannes.

"If his blood cells can adapt to these Aragami weapons then the boy will be able to produce an aragami weapon at will!" Sakaki responded/

"That is indeed a fascinating discovery. If there has been no progress in a week I want you to discontinue this work."

"Of course, Johannes" Sakaki replied with a smile.

"Then I shall take my leave. Give the boy my regards." Johannes turned and walked out of the door. Unknowingly to each other, both Johannes and Sakaki both thought,

'The search for the singularity may be over'.


	8. Chapter 8

From the Start

Chapter 8

"Speech"

'Thoughts'

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Also, please leave a review. I'm happy to have received a review yesterday so thank you to that person.

Winter's POV

Walking away from the burning wreck of a town that I had occupied for about a week, i was lucky to avoid many of the more threatening Aragami. I did come across a few Cocoon Maidens and harvested the spikes to create more spears. These would come in handy if I come across a larger Aragami. Well the spears provide me with weapons but I am going to need food and water to survive.

I walked for another ten miles into a dense forest before I came across anything that could be considered edible. There were quite a few wild mushrooms around and I used one of my spears to stab the mushrooms and pick them up so I could inspect them. I know nothing about wild mushrooms but there is nothing else that looks edible. I snap off a few branches of the trees around me and set them up in a camp fire formation. Hopefully, burning these mushrooms to a crisp will remove all of traces of poison. That is of course, if the mushrooms are poisonous. 60 minutes and a pain in the stomach later, I continued to walk through the forest in the hopes that I can find somewhere to rest.

I wake up with a wince after remembering what happened once I had left the burning town. It was a memory I don't like to remember often. I swing my legs off the bed and feel them hit the floor. I stay like that for a minute so that I could pay attention to my surroundings. I hear a few voices from the other side of the door. I stand and walk to the door where I press my right ear against it, making sure to stay silent as I do so.

"You are here precisely 420 seconds before I anticipated. Interesting. I am Doctor Paylor Sakaki. The Chief of Aragami Tech and R&D." Sakaki said as I thought to myself,

'Must be a new recruit.'

"I am certain that we'll be seeing quite a lot of each other over the coming days. Welcome aboard, New-Type!" I hear before deeming this conversation unworthy of spying on. I move my ear from the door and knock on it three times. This appears to startle the new recruit.

"What was that?" Came a feminine voice from the other side of the door as well as a bit of shiffling that seemed to be coming closer to the door. I therefore assumed that Doctor Sakaki was moving towards the door to release me. Sure enough, seconds later I am released.

"Sleep well?" Doctor Sakaki asked, "It certainly didn't sound like that from all the moaning."

"Sorry about that. The dream brought back some unpleasant memories." Was my response.

"What were you doing in that room?" Comes the voice of the new recruit which makes the both of us turn towards the new recruit.

"Alisa, this is Winter." Doctor Sakaki gestured towards me, "He..."

"Oh, so you're Winter." The girl now known as Alisa interrupted, "The God Eater that caused a big disturbance yesterday."

"How did you know about that?" I enquire, confused that she knew about yesterday's events.

"I was being introduced to the 1st Unit when Hibari started shouting. Naturally, that caused a lot of attention to be directed at her and thus her words were heard about how you used spears to defeat a Kongou. While I admit I am intrigued as to how you did that, I do not care to know." Alisa said whilst twirling her hair around two of her fingers.

"In any case," Doctor Sakaki's words brought our attention to him, "Winter here had to undergo a medical due to yesterday's events."

"Now Winter, I will discuss with you the results of your medical at some other time. Right now, Alisa needs to undergo a medical." Sakaki turned towards Alisa and so I headed to the door. I almost left when I heard the girl shout,

"I am not lying in the same bed as he did!" I turned my head towards Doctor Sakaki,

"Good luck Doc." I said before leaving the laboratory and shutting the door.

After that event I decided to head straight for the cafeteria. After all, I at nothing yesterday, what with me being woken up early to complete a mission and then being ushered to the laboratory once I got back.

'I am starving!' I think to myself while on the way to the cafeteria. I walk through the cafeteria's doors and look for the clock that is almost at eye-sight on the opposite wall as you walk into the cafeteria. It read 9:05 in the morning and there were a lot of people in the cafeteria. I picked up a tray from near the door and headed to the cafeteria where I was served a purple liquid in a bowl with a few chunks in it. The purple liquid made this soup, as I called it, appear horrible. After receiving my bowl of soup I went to the only unoccupied table, which was the first table that could be seen as you walk in through the door, and sat down on the middle seat. This time the seat I chose was facing the door so that I could see everybody that entered and left.

3 minutes and half a bowl of purple soup later I notice that Tsubaki has entered the cafeteria. There she notices me straight away and heads towards me. She sits opposite me before saying,

"you are on medical leave for today. You will resume normal God Eater activities tomorrow."

"Why?" I enquire.

"You have recently fought a medium sized Aragami with a smaller Aragami's harvested spikes. You have recently woke up from a medical exam and under the rules of a God Eater, you are required to take it easy for the rest of the day." Tsubaki states as she rotates her body as if she was about to leave.

"I know of your skills," she continued, "But as you are a member of the 1st Unit, I am your supervisor. I do not want you to carry out such tasks as yesterday unless it is the only chance of survival you have. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes Miss but when was I moved into the 1st Unit?" I enquired as I thought I was only sent on missions at Doctor Sakaki's request. Tsubaki turned herself back to me and said,

"It was communicated between Doctor Sakaki, Lindow and I that you and the newest recruit would be moved into the First Unit. However, you must produce a report to me after every mission as well as reporting the mission to Doctor Sakaki."

"But what if I am scheduled for two missions that start at the same time?" I ask.

"Then the mission assigned by Doctor Sakaki will take priority. Now enjoy the rest of the day off while you can." Tsubaki said as she got up from her seat and left the cafeteria. A few minutes and another half a bowl of the putrid soup later and I also left the cafeteria, heading to my room as I had no idea of what else to do.

Once I reach my room though I notice that the door has been left open. I also notice that there is a feminine voice coming from the room. I creep towards my room so that I can get a better understanding as to who is occupying it. I stealthily step into my room and close the door silently. Ensuring that the trespasser has no escape. I notice that my bed looks fine as does its surroundings. I continue to walk further into my room and notice that there is a head of pink hair lying face up on one of the sofas. Continuing my stealthy walk I stop to take a better look at the trespasser that looks to be asleep. Pink hair, breasts that were covered and a green medic jacket. I realise that the trespasser was Kanon. I contemplate on how to wake her up which included scaring her and picking her up and dropping her outside of my room. But I remember that we were not exactly on good terms the last time we spoke and thus decided to grab her by the shoulders and shake her.

"Wake up trespasser." I say with humour in my voice as I continue to shake her, getting slightly rougher when I realise she is still not waking up. After five more seconds of shaking she lets out a groan which is when I decide to stop. Two more groans later and I see a pair of turquoise eyes begin to open. She looks dazed for a few seconds before she realises that I am here.

"Wha?" She shouts as she scrambles to sit up. She looks at me again as I say with humour still encompassing my voice,

"Good morning trespasser." That seems to wake her up as she becomes fully alert.

"Winter!" She shouts as if only just acknowledging my presence, "Why are you here?"

"This is my room, Kanon." I answer, "I should be asking why you are here." Kanon instantly looks like a deer caught in headlights as she scrambles to her feet.

"I wanted to talk with you after your medical. I didn't realise it would take so long."

"So you fell asleep on the couch?" I ask humoured by her expression.

"I... I must have." She says dejectedly.

"Not that I don't enjoy your company but why did you want to talk to me? After the state I left you in, I thought you would never want to see me again." I said with the humour leaving my voice and instead being replaced with a hint of sadness.

"No! No! Quite the opposite actually. I wanted to see how you are doing, what with Eric's death and you forgetting your God Arc yesterday..." Kanon trailed off. I rushed to answer, "I'm fin..." Before I could finish though she interrupted,

"How could you forget your God Arc?" She screamed, "You could have been killed!"

"But I am alive and well..." I tried to answer but he ignored me,

"Do you know how worried everyone was?" Seeing a chance to change her expression, I took it,

"Does that include you?" I ask in a quiet voice. She becomes flustered and her face becomes red. I take this opportunity and hug her, holding her head against my chest.

"Let go of me!" She demands as she pushes against me but I continue to hold her in place. A short while later and she loses all of her energy and stops resisting.

"Feel bett..." I begin but am distracted when she wraps her arms around my waist, pulls me closer and begins to weep on my shoulder. I continue to hold her until she stops.

"Now," I begin again, "Feel any better?" A nod against my shoulder is her response.

"How about I make it up to you?" I say as I release her and she steps back, moving her head up to look me in the eyes.

"Let me help you with your friendly fire problem." Her eyes widen in surprise and she looks towards the ground before nodding her head once.

"Great! It's my day off today so let's get started now." I say while dragging Kanon by the hand to my door.

"But..." Kanon begins before I interject,

"Don't worry. I didn't know what I was going to do today anyway." I say before locking my door and heading to the lift with Kanon.


	9. Chapter 9 - Training

From the Start

Chapter 9 - Training

"Speech"

'Thoughts'

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Also, please leave a review.

Winter's POV

The lift ride was a quiet one. I turned to look towards Kanon. She had a big smile on her face. Now I know that I have made it up to her. She looks back at me still smiling. I see her cheeks go slightly red and she turns back almost instantly. I turn my head to face the lift's doors and say,

"We'll need to go to the God Arc Storage Area first so that we can pick up our God Arcs."

"Yeah." She responds.

"Do you know which Storage Area your God Arc is kept in?" I enquire while turning towards her with a smile on my face.

"Yeah," She begins turning towards me, "Storage Area 4."

"Mine's in Storage Area 2." I reply looking straight at the doors again. I notice that she does the same."So I'll meet you at the training room?" I ask as the doors to the lift opened and revealed multiple corridors to get to multiple God Arc Storage Areas.

"Yeah. I'll see you there." Kanon said happily. I began walking along the second corridor while Kanon starting walking along the fourth.

I enter the God Arc storage area and start looking for my God Arc. I notice that all the God Arcs are locked and that somebody is currently using the machine that unlocks them. I realise that this person is Licca and head over to her.

"Hey Licca." I say as I stop beside her. She turns her head and continues to operate the machine.

"Hey Winter." Is her response, "What brings you here?"

"Well I'm hoping to grab my God Arc." I reply.

"You know that you are not allowed out on the field right?" To which I nod. "Then why do you want your God Arc?" She asks with a confused expression on her face.

"I'm teaching Kanon to get over her friendly fire problem. We'll be going in the training room." I respond with a small smile.

"Oh? Well good luck!" Licca says with a huge smirk as she operates the machine to release my God Arc.

"You seem to find that funny. Care to explain why?" I say with confusion in my face.

"You're not the first person that has tried to help Kanon with her problem." Licca said still with the smirk on her face.

"Your God Arc has been unlocked. Have fun Winter." Licca continued.

"Right okay." I respond and head to my God Arc, pick it up and head back through the corridor to go back to the lift.

Once I reach the lift, I press the button for the training ground and feel the lift move upwards. It is only a few seconds later when it stops at a floor that did not have the training room. The lift doors open and in steps Tsubaki With her clipboard in her hand.

"Winter. Where are you going with your God Arc?" she asks as she turns to face the lift's doors and thus faces away from me.

"The training room." I say with my stoic expression on my face.

"Any particularly reason why you are going to the training room?" Tsubaki begins, "You are supposed to be relaxing after all."

"You're the second person I've explained this to. I'm helping Kanon with her friendly fire problem." I say annoyed that I've already explained this to another person.

"I'm guessing that the first is someone from the Maintenance Unit. No matter, you may continue." Tsubaki finished as the lift stopped and she stepped out. The doors then closed and the lift soon arrived at the training room floor.

A small walk later through a white walled corridor later and I am standing in front of the training room.

'I wonder if she's already here' I say as I open the door to the training room. Sure enough, Kanon is already there and she doesn't look too happy. Annoyed, Kanon said,

"Took you long enough." With a small smile she continued, "Well are you going to help or not, _Instructor_."

"Of course Kanon." I humourlessly say back before taking a look around the room. It is a very large room and therefore very spacious. It will be perfect for training.

"Are you going to look around all day?" Kanon asks, annoyed that I was looking around the room, "C'mon, we've got some training to do!" Kanon exclaims before running to one side of the room and I follow her.

Once Kanon reaches the other end of the room she stops and turns back to me,

"Are you ready? I'm going to show you what I can do." I catch up to Kanon and say,

"You're going to need targets if you're going to train."

"I know that!" Kanon says with one hand on her hip, "I need you to operate the machine and operate the targets." She continues as her hand points towards a machine in the corner of the room.

"Okay Kanon." I respond as I head to the machine. I turn the machine on, press a few buttons and get the choice of how many targets I want to use. I type "3" to make start easy. Then I get the choice of distance and I choose 10 metres. I also get the choice of distance away from each other and select 3 metres.

"Ready Kanon?" I ask.

"Yep!" She excitedly shouts back.

"Start!" I shout in response. I see her take aim at the target on the left. She shoots what I think is a homing bullet at the target and it hits.

"Kanon. Try not to use homing bullets."

"What? Why not?" She enquires as she turns towards me with a confused expression on her face.

"I need to see how accurate your shooting is and I can't do that if you are using bullets that can lock onto the target." I say matter of factly.

"Fine!" She responds annoyed with me, "I'll use mortars" she continues before turning to her God Arc and uses the touch screen to change the bullet type. She then aims at the second target and fires. It misses. She attempts to again but misses again. Finally on her third shot, she hits it. She then switches to the third target and hits it instantly.

"Well, I've got a grasp of your accuracy." I begin with a hand rubbing my neck, "but we can't exactly solve your friendly fire problem without somebody in the way." I see Kanon's head turn towards me with a creepy smile. I instantly know what she is thinking. Turning back to the machine in front of me I press a few random buttons and say with my head turned towards Kanon,

"It can't be me. I'm operating the machine." I turn my head back to the machine and actually look at what I am doing.

"Kanon!" I shout to grab her attention. "Did you know about the Bullet Editor option on this machine?" I hear Kanon walk towards me and she replies shyly,

"Erm... I've heard of it but I've never used it." She stops beside me and looks at the screen on the machine before continuing,

"What are you doing?"

"If I can figure out how to use this then your friendly fire problem may not be a problem anymore."

"Great! Keep at it!" Kanon responds before moving away.

"Wait! It would be best if you knew how to do this as well, Kanon." I indirectly command. With a sigh and a slump of her shoulders, Kanon turns back and watches me. I make sure to mention everything I am doing so that Kanon knows how to do it in the future.

Around 10 minutes later I have created a great bullet. This bullet will cause damage to the Aragami, like usual, but if it hits a team member then it will heal them slightly.

"You ready to test this out Kanon?" I ask.

"Of course!" Comes an excited response from the girl.

"Then get ready. There are going to be 5 targets and they will be at varied heights."

"Okay! I'm ready!" Kanon replies.

"Great! Start!" I say as I press the button to make the targets appear. Kanon hits the first three targets in three shots but misses the fourth target.

"Don't worry about it Kanon!" I shout as she appears to lose focus at the stray shot. "Just try it again!" Kanon takes aim again and misses.

"Oh!" Kanon shouts sadly as she fires another shot that misses the target. I walk towards her, grab her arms and help her to aim. Kanon must be feeling embarrassed about missing so many shots as I see her face go bright red when I touch her.

"Hwha?" Kanon mutters incomprehensibly.

"There." I say as I move her posture so that she is aiming at the target that is about 4 metres into the air.

"Now try to shoot." I continue as I let go of her. However I see that she is still red and her arms are still shaking. I decide to approach her from the front. She appears to be in a state of shock.

'She's a wreck and just because she missed a few bullets?' I think to myself. She is looking down at the ground. I decide to move my face closer to hers.

"Kanon! Wake up!" I shout and bring her out of her stupor. She turns even more red and starts shaking even more. I move my face closer and she continues to shake.

"Hey, Ka..." I begin but I am shoved about 10 metres away from her and I land about 1 metre away from one of the targets.

"Damn. I forgot about how powerful a God Eater can be." I say as I slowly get up from the floor to make sure not to aggravate any injuries I may have sustained from the shove. I look back at Kanon and notice that she has her gun aimed in my direction.

"Kanon." I say sternly, "What are you doing?" I notice that she is no longer shaking but her face is sill red.

"Stay there!" She demands. "You're going to be my guinea pig to see if this bullet really does avoid friendly fire!" Before I can respond she starts shooting bullets.

'Oh crap!' I think to myself as the bullet hits the target next to me. The force behind so many bullets being aimed at the target creates an explosion which launches me into the nearest wall and my vision turns black.


	10. Chapter 10 - Vajra

From the Start

Chapter 10 - Vajra

"Speech"

'Thoughts'

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Also, please leave a review. I got another review so thank you to CrimsonAegis to reviewing. While writing this chapter I had gotten a notification that somebody had favourited and followed this story. Thanks man!

Winter's POV

There is black and nothing else. No light anywhere, just black.

"Run!" I hear a voice coming from my left and spin myself around to see who says it, but there is still nothing.

"Run!" I hear again but in another direction this time. Suddenly, am met with a barrage of voices all repeating the same thing,

"Run!" I feel a pain in the back of my head as if someone had just shot an arrow through my skull. I collapse to my knees in pain. I look around as I still hear the noises. They won't stop and the pain keeps growing. It feels as if my head has instantly become ten times heavier and I am forced to lie down onto my front by an unknown force. I feel like I am being pressed under an Aragami's paw but I still cannot see anything. The paw puts more force onto me and I feel like I am being crushed. That is until I hear singing,

"La la la la la la la la" It starts with a rising intonation before it continues. As it continues though, I feel the pressure that the paw has exerted on me weaken. Strangely, the singing has also caused the pain I had in my head to lessen. I get back onto my feet as I hear the singing become quieter as if somebody was moving away. As the singing drifts away and fades into nothingness, the once black sight slowly becomes white.

My eyes quickly open to my later regret as the white walls of the infirmary had blinded me. I decide to slowly open my eyes this time so that I can get used to the surroundings. Once accomplishing this, I push myself up into a sitting position and look around. Nobody else was present in the infirmary. I looked to the left of me and noticed a note on the table to which I picked it up.

 _Winter,_

 _I was told you would wake up in the next few hours. I wanted to be there but I have a mission to go to. Doctor Sakaki told me to tell you to see Lindow when you wake up._

 _See you later,_

 _Kanon_

After reading the note I crumpled it up and put it in my pocket. Then swung my legs off of the bed and stood up. I walked towards the door and out of the infirmary.

Once I had walked out of the infirmary, I decided that I would ask Hibari if she knew where Lindow is. Thus I walked to the lift and used it to reach the first floor. Once I had stepped out of the first floor I had seen Lindow sitting on the couch in the upper part of the Den. Therefore I decided that there would be no point in going to see Hibari and instead headed straight towards Lindow.

"Yo, Lindow." I say to gain his attention. He looks up at me and says,

"Hey, Rook. Sleep well?" Before I can answer him he continues, "Well we have a mission tomorrow with the new recruit."

"Alisa?" I say the new recruit's name.

"Yeah that's her. We'll be fighting a Vajra. Be prepared." He responds.

"What time's the mission?" I ask remembering that, due to my lack of preparation, I had forgotten to get my God Arc.

"10 o'Clock." Is his answer.

"Great, well if that's all..." I begin as I start to walk away.

"Wait, Winter!" Lindow almost shouts. "You've got a little time right? I mean it is only 8:45. Why don't you tell me about how you were able to defeat an Aragami without a God Arc?" He says with a smug smile on his face and gesturing towards the seat near him. With a sigh I walk back towards Lindow, seeing his smile become wider as I sit near him.

"Great! So, begin!" Lindow all but demands. With a sigh I begin to tell him about why I was recruited to be a God Eater. After a while, Lindow asks,

"So which Aragami have you killed without a God Arc?"

"I don't think that's important..."

"Oh come on... Tell me!" Lindow exclaims curiously.

"If I am to tell you, you have to promise that you will not tell a soul about any of what I've told you."

"Yeah okay." Lindow responds.

"I and to hear you say that you swear." I say calmly.

"Okay okay, I swear on my life. Now tell me!"

"Okay then, just keep in mind that I don't know the names of all these Aragami as they are not in the database. So I hope you'll settle for a description."

"Okay, shoot!"

"Well, there was a lighting tiger, an ice tiger with a woman's face and another tiger with an old man's face." I say matter of factly and notice that Lindow looked as if he had seen a ghost when I had mentioned them three. I was about to continue when I was interrupted,

"You've killed a the Vajra Aragami line without a God Arc?" Lindow almost shouted before realising that there were other people in the room.

"So they were Vajras?"

"Yes! There are three known types. A Vajra is the lightning tiger you mentioned, a Prithvi Mata is the ice tiger you mentioned and the Dyaus Pita is a Vajra with an old man's face! What else have you killed?" Lindow, again, almost shouted with curiosity enveloping his voice.

"Well there is an ice shark" I start as Lindow comments,

"Gboro-Gboro"

"A lightning bat" Lindow again tells me the name of the Aragami,

"A Chi-You."

"A giant scorpian"

"A Borg Camlann" Lindow corrects me again,

"And a massive Aragami that's arms can become tentacles." I finish.

"You? A rookie defeated an Ouroboros. Without a God Arc! That's it. I want you in my squad and we are going to pulverise some massive Aragami. Oh and I want to see you do it without a God Arc." Lindow exclaims as he jumps up from his seat.

"You see, I'm not allowed to..."

"Just bring it and don't use it. How were you able to kill them all?" Lindow asks.

"Usually, I craft weapons from the Aragami around."

"Even better! Tomorrow you will do just that!" Lindow exclaimed. It really surprised me that he has managed to keep anyone from overhearing our conversation.

"Hey wait a minute! Didn't you say the new recruit would be going with us tomorrow?" I respond.

"Oh yeah," Lindow begins with his excitement deflating, "Hopefully she is just as curious as I am. Well anyway we best be getting some rest." I nod in response and Lindow continues, "You've got a big day 't let me down, kid."

"Kid?" I repeat.

"Well I can't call you a rookie anymore and since Winter is only your code name..."

"Then use it."

"Great! Thanks kid!" Lindow says as he walks away.

"Wait! I meant use my codename!" I shout back to which he just waves back and gets in the lift.

After that event I decided to go to my room and rest. After all, I remember Alisa saying that she wouldn't mind knowing how I fought a Kongou without a God Arc so I am probably going to fight without one if Lindow asks her. Even if Alisa didn't want to see it Lindow would probably make us go on a mission just to see it. Either way tomorrow is going to be a long day.

After waking up, getting dressed, having breakfast at the cafeteria and getting my God Arc I arrive at the meeting point for this mission. Alisa is already here but it looks like Lindow is running late.

"At least someone else showed up." Alisa says, with two of her fingers are twirling her hair, as I approach her. "Seriously how long is he going to take."

"We did arrive early Alisa. I'm 5 minutes early." I reply

"Yeah well, I've been here for 10 minutes." She responds. I move to the ledge that we are to jump down to and look around. I notice a few Cocoon Maidens but there is no sign of the Vajra.

"I get the pleasure of working with both New-Types today." A male voice says and I turn around to see Lindow approaching us. "I'll try not to get in the way." He says with a slight chuckle.

"It isn't getting in the way." Alisa starts and I turn my head towards her, "You should stick to what Old-Types do best. You are our support."

Lindow replies and walks towards her, "Actually, I was hoping that you would also be support. I want to see Winter here defeat the Vajra without a God Arc." Lindow places a hand on her shoulder. I see Alisa jump back with an "ah".

"Woah, okay... You really don't like me, huh? That's fine. I'll grow on you." Lindw says surprised at her outburst.

"No, it's... I-I'm sorry... It's nothing. I'm fine." Alisa says while holding her head.

"Hehehe. I was just kidding. Just a joke. Hey, I want you to try something Alisa. It might help. When things get crazy of chaotic, I want you to look up in the sky and find a cloud that looks like an animal, okay? It'll help you to relax. You know what? Try it right now. That's an order. Once you do, come find us."

"But... Why would I do that? It's pointless." Alisa says while twirling her hair with two of her fingers.

"Just look for a cloud, okay? Trust me."Lindow replies with a comforting smile on his face. "We're gonna go on a head a little bit." Lindow looks at me with a glint in his eye and we both jump off the ledge.

While walking with Lindow he says,

"So here's the deal. That kid's got some... Unique baggage. Still, it's hard to find someone who doesn't have tragedy in their history. Sign of the times." He turns to look at me as we stop walking, "I wanted to ask you since you are a New-Type. Will you keep an eye out for her?" He says as he puts a hand on my shoulder. I nod in response.

"Good, thanks. Come on, then." He says as he turns back around to continue walking, "I want to see your skills."

"Okay but we'll need to kill a Cocoon Maiden first." I respond.

"Okay then just tell me what to do." Lindow says as he readies his God Arc.

"Right!" I shout as we head out.

After 2 minutes of running we find a Cocoon Maiden and Zone K.

"Okay Lindow. I want you to butcher it." I say as slowly walk towards it. "When it turns around to unleash its spikes I want you to move so then I can come in and chop the spikes off."

"Okay, sounds like a plan!" Lindow shouts back and rushes towards the Cocoon Maiden. The Cocoon Maiden is alerted to Lindow once he begins slashing it from behind. It turns towards Lindow and waits. I notice that it is about to uncover its spikes.

"Lindow Now!" I shout as I run towards the Cocoon Maiden. It unleashes it spikes in Lindow's direction but he is too far back for the spikes to do anything. I jump and slash the spikes making most of them fall to the ground.

"Lindow! Go to the other side of it." I shout, formulating a plan.

"Roger!" Lindow replies as he runs to the other side and begins slashing. The Cocoon Maiden begins to move upwards and I shout to Lindow to move while I do the same and change my God Arc's form. The Cocoon Maiden unleashes spikes in every direction and I use my God Arc to fire a freeze mortar at the spikes. It causes all of the spikes to b dislodged from the Cocoon Maiden.

"Now kill it!" I shout while switching my God Arc's Form and seeing Lindow rush at it from the other side. One hit from each of use is all it took.

"Now I need to craft some spears." I say to Lindow as he walks towards me after devouring the core of the Aragami we had just defeated.

"Okay, I'm interested in seeing where this goes." Lindow replies with his God Arc on his shoulder.

After five minutes and a reunion with Alisa I have created the spears, we decide to hunt the Vajra. We find it at point M.

"Winter, why were you making the spears?" Alisa asks and Lindow answers excitedly,

"Well we are going to be in the supporting roles, Alisa, because I have decided that Winter is going to fight the Vajra without his God Arc."

"What?" Alisa shouts and she turns towards me, "A Kongou is one thing but a Vajra?" Lindow, again, responds

"Don't worry. He's fought many Aragami without a God Arc." I turn towards him with a surprised expression but he is facing Alisa and continues, "That's why he was recruited to be a God Eater, isn't that right?" He asks as he turns towards me and sees my surprised expression.

"Oh shit! That was meant to be a secret, wasn't it." Lindow says realising his error.

"Remember Lindow. You swore on your life. You're going to die soon." I say back calmly.

"Wait, what?" Alisa asks confused about my answer.

"Let's fight this beast" I say angrily. Somehow the Vajra still hadn't noticed us. In my angered state, I started running towards the Vajra. It turns at the sound of my footsteps and roars.

"If you didn't roar," I begin talking to the Aragami, "You might have stopped me." I finish as I jab one of the spears into its eye. The aragami flings its head upwards with me still attached to the spear. It launches me into the air and I take the spear with me, therefore pulling its eye out. I land on the Vajra's cape and I throw the spear, with the eye attached, in Lindow's and Alisa's direction as I notice that they haven't done anything yet. The Vajra finally stops thrashing and when it does, I jump off and stab it in the torso with three spears. It jumps so that it is facing me. A crucial mistake on its part as I stab the other eye with another spear and, using two more spears, I remove its fangs and its blood drenches me. I pick the fangs up while it is blindly thrashing about the place.

"Devour it in 3!" I shout to gain the attention of the stunned God Eaters.

"2!" I shout again as I jump so that I can pierce the head with the rest of the spears.

"1!" I shout as I pierce its head.

"Now!" Luckily, Lindow had heard me and devoured its core to halt the Vajra's movements. I notice that the Vajra is lifeless and turn towards my companions,, Lindow looks to be in a state of shock and mild excitement but Alisa appears to be traumatised by my display. Not that my appearance looks any better with m being covered in Vajra blood.

"That was awesome!" I hear Lindow shout as I tell Hibari to send a helicopter to pick us up. She hears Lindow's exclamation and enquires about it but I respond with a "you'll see". When the helicopter arrives the pilot notices my state but says nothing. I jump into the helicopter and put down my unused God Arc. Lindow climbs in next to me and starts talking my ear off. I notice that Alisa is still to say anything as she climbs into the seat opposite me and continues to stare.

"I swear guys," I start which causes Lindow to shut up, "Kota was more use than the two of you put together. He actually helped me to defeat the Aragami." I say with my hands behind my head, taking a bit of Aragami blood off my face while I said that.

"Yeah but that was a Kongou!" Lindow exclaims, "Not a Vajra! You didn't even give it a chance to attack!"He finished. Alisa was still silent. I thought Lindow's reaction was over the top but once I returned to the Den, all hell broke loose.


	11. Chapter 11

From the Start

Chapter 10 - Vajra

"Speech"

'Thoughts'

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Also, please leave a review. I got another story follower!

Winter's POV

While I was still on the helicopter I decided that I would make sure I got famous in the Den. Everybody already knows that I killed a Kongou without a God Arc so when they see me drenched in blood with a clean God Arc and Cocoon Maiden spears then they will get the message. Thus, when we got off the helicopter I decided to walk straight into the den, with Lindow and Alisa following with Alisa still being strangely quiet. I was still drenched in the Vajra's blood; from head to toe. Aragami have a different colour blood than humans. We have red blood and Aragami have black blood.

When we walked into the Den I hadn't gained a lot of attention. The people present in the Den at the time were Sakuya, Kanon, Gina, Hibari (like always it seems) and Soma. We attracted Hibari's attention at first and when she screamed "What happened to you?" at me she had gained the attention of the others present. Kanon appeared to run towards me with Gina behind her. I remember Gina asked me, with a smile on her face, if the blood I was soaked with was Aragami blood to which Lindow had replied and confirmed this. Once Lindow confirmed this, Alisa started heading towards the lift. I noticed that Sakuya had followed the same time, Soma had wanted Lindow's attention from the upper level of the Den and thus Lindow went up to him. I was left with the three women, Kanon, Gina and Hibari as I noticed she had left the desk, most likely to speak to me. I still had a clean God Arc in my hand which is something that Hibari noticed.

"You did not?" She had shouted as she saw my clean God Arc, "You killed a Vajra without your God Arc!" It was more of a statement than a question. Kanon seemed to jump back at that but Gina's smile had widened.

"You've got to go to the infirmary immediately!" Hibari continued but Gina interrupted,

"Not so fast..." She says in her sadistic voice with a hand on her hip and licking her lips. "I want to know how you killed the Vajra."

"I want to know that as well!" Kanon finally spoke up with an angry look on her face.

"What's all this noise!" shouted a pristine voice from the lift. The lift doors opened and revealed Johannes, the Director of the Far East Branch. He had heard the noise and thus decided to investigate it. He had looked in the direction of Lindow who pointed at me with a small smirk on his face. The Director followed the direction of Lindow's finger to see me and the group that I am with. As he walked down the stairs, he too noticed the clean God Arc and that I am drenched with Aragami blood. The girls had noticed him and moved away slightly to give him space to walk up to me. That's where we are now.

"You killed another Aragami without your God Arc" he stated with a small smirk and his hands behind his back.

"I did." I answer calmly.

"I am impressed." He starts before turning his head towards Hibari, "What was it this time?"

"A Vajra, sir." Hibari replies matter of factly.

"A Vajra?" Johannes questions as he turns back towards me, "I'm impressed."

"What?" Kanon expressed her disbelief.

"Of course." Johannes replied, "this is the first time we've seen this happen. Winter," He began, "report to Doctor Sakaki to give him your mission report. He may wish to give you a medical." He finished and left to go back to his office, our heads followed him as he left. Once he had entered the lift, Gina said, with her head turning back to me,

"okay, give me the details." Hibari and Kanon looked to Gina as she talked and then to me for an answer.

"Okay but don't interrupt." I said and was met with the three girls nodding at me, I also notice that Soma is looking down at us from the upper floor with Lindow no where in sight.

"Well, Lindow helped me to kill a Cocoon Maiden so that I could obtain these spears." I begin as I gesture to the spears that I have in my left hand. Speaking of which, that hand has started to ache.

"Let me see them," speaks Gina with curiosity enveloped in her voice.

"I thought I said 'no interrupting' but fine." I drop a few spears into her open hands which recoil once they touch her skin and the spears fall to the ground.

"Ahh!" Gina shouts in agony as I pick up the spears.

"Gina! What's wrong?" Kanon asks.

"Ah! It burned when I held those!" She then inspects her hands before looking at mine.

"Let me see your hand!" She demands.

"What?" I splutter in confusion.

"Your hand! Let me see it!" She shouts and in response I show her my hand. She looks to be comparing mine and hers.

"Erm... What are you doing?" Kanon asks nervously.

"When I touched the spears, I was burned yet he seems perfectly fine." Gina says and shows her hands. There was a a few purple marks on her hands. Gina continues,

"I have marks on my hands but he doesn't."

"That is something that you'll need to go to the infirmary about, Gina." Hibari says.

"I will..." She starts, "Later. I want to hear the rest of the tale." She says turning her attention back to me.

"You got over that quickly." I say calmly before continuing the story, "Well, to summarise, I stabbed the Vajra in the eye with one of these spears. It threw its head back and I was thrown onto its back whilst taking its eye out." I seen Hibari and Kanon wince but Gina's smile widened. I continued, "I then stab it in the torso with three more spears after I jump off the Vajra. Then it turned around to face me where I stabbed it in the other eye and chopped off its fangs." I took the fangs out of my pocket showed it to them and continued, "Then I told Lindow to devour it." I finished and said,

"Now if you'll excuse me. I need to say Doctor Sakaki." I left the girls and headed to the lift but not before seeing their expressions. Hibari and Kanon looked shocked and fearful whilst Gina was grinning as if she had gone mad.

Once I arrived at the lift had stopped I went straight to the laboratory. I walked through the door without knocking.

"Holy Aragami! What happened to you?" Sakaki shouted and after telling him why I was drenched in Aragami he had calmed down. Well, calmed down enough.

"I'm going to need to conduct a medical for you." Sakaki said.

"Yeah, the Director said that you would probably want to conduct a medical" I replied.

"Yes well, before I do that go and clean yourself up." Sakaki said as you made a 'shoo' motion with his hand. Before I left though, I said,

"Oh, Gina said she was burned when she touched the spears that I had crafted."

"That is interesting." I hear in response before leaving and I did as he said. I went to my room for new change of clothes and a shower. It's nice that there is a shower in my room. I wonder if that is the case for all the God Eaters.

I returned to the laboratory for the medical. Doctor Sakaki had already set up the equipment and had opened the door to the bed. He is currently seated at his desk.

"Same as usual I assume?"

"Yep" I reply knowing that the Doctor was asking me if I wanted to sleep there. It's almost like a second home.

"You know the drill by now." Sakaki says nonchalantly. "I'll discuss with you the results of your medicals tomorrow." He says as he gets up and closes the door to the room. I relax as sleep overcomes me.

The next morning, when I wake up, I get up from the bed and walk to the door. I knock on it and seconds later, the door opens.

"Good morning Winter." Sakaki says as he closes the door and walks back to his desk.

"I have some good news and bad news regarding the medicals' results."

"Straight to business I see." I say with a chuckle, "I'll have the bad news first."

"After analysing your cells, I have determined that you have no human cells." Sakaki said whilst smiling. What was he smiling about? He has basically just told me that I am not human.

"What?" I question.

"Your body contains no human cells." Is his reply. I am struggling to contain my anger. He just said I wasn't human, twice!

"So what's the good news?" I almost shout at him.

"That is good news!" He says with his smirk growing wider. I launch myself at him and pull him up from the ground by his clothes.

"How is that possibly good news?" I shout despite being less than a metre away from him.

"J-Just p-put me down a-and I-I can explain." He says back with the smile removed from his face. Mission accomplished, I think to myself. Thus I put him down but still keep my anger present in my voice.

"Spill!" I demand.

"Well since you're cells aren't human it means that you are immune to the infections and diseases that humans can get." He says back calmly with a straight face.

"Is that it?" I respond with my anger flaring again.

"That is how you are able to use the spikes from the Cocoon Maidens that you slaughter. You said yesterday that Gina was burned when she touched to spears, right? That proves my point." He replies. I try to calm myself down.

"Anything else?" I enquire.

"Other than the fact that you are immune to the special attacks of Aragami then no."

"Being immune to the special attacks of Aragami is great but how do you know that?" I ask another question.

"Well, I conducted experiment using your blood samples from when you first arrived. I soaked the spears that you brought in last time in the blood and expected the blood to become poisoned. However, nothing happened."

"That does not mean that I am immune to special attacks though. Just the status effects of Cocoon Maidens." I respond, confused with the Doctor's explanation.

"Admittedly, that is just a hypothesis. I would need to see the materials that you craft out of other Aragami before I can test this hypothesis. What I have been able to confirm is that you are immune to the status effects of the Aragami."

"So you need more materials?" I ask.

"I will arrange a mission for you to collect some materials. Remember, I need you to construct more weapons using Aragami materials. It does not matter how you kill them, just craft something from their leftovers." Sakaki stated, still with no trace of emotion on his face now since I removed that smile earlier. I begin to leave the laboratory when another question appears in my head. I voice it to Sakaki,

"Hey Doc, if my cells aren't human, what are they?" Sakaki replied with what looks like an apathetic smile,

"It's best you don't know." I leave the laboratory and head to my room.


	12. Chapter 12 - Special Mission

From the Start

Chapter 12 - Special Mission

"Speech"

'Thoughts'

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Also, please leave a review. I got another review as well!

Winter's POV

After going to my room for a change of clothes and a shower, I decided to head to Hibari's desk. Doctor Sakaki said that he would be assigning me a mission. It is the first mission that he has assigned me so I am intrigued as to what he has planned. When I arrive at Hibari's desk she greets me,

"Hi Winter." She says with a smile on her face. "A new get up?" She asks as she sees that I have decided to wear a Battle Top Blue and a Battle Bottom Blue combination.

"Yeah, just trying them out." I reply with a friendly smile on my face.

"It looks good. Anyway, you're here for your mission details?" Hibari almost states.

"Yeah. I've been informed that Sakaki has arranged a mission for me."

"Yes he has. You were supposed to go on a mission with Soma, Kota and Sakuya but Doctor Sakaki's missions take priority." Hibari replied matter of factly.

"Oh, okay." I say, surprised at the new information.

"You know, it's rather strange." Hibari starts while using her computer.

"What is?" I enquire with genuine curiosity.

"There are three teams going to the City of Mercy and three separate missions. That includes you as one team." Hibari answers with confusion in her voice before continuing, "Anyway, your mission is to destroy a Chi-You that has entered the City of Mercy. Doctor Sakaki wants you to bring back 3 Avian Tendons."

"Thanks Hibari, I'll get my God Arc prepared." I say as I leave for God Arc Storage Warehouse 2.

"Use it this time!" Hibari shouts and I give her a wave of my hand before I step into the lift and travel downwards.

Upon reaching Storage Warehouse 2, I see Licca at the machine. I head towards her.

"You've got a mission?" Licca asks as she hears me and unlocks my God Arc.

"Yeah, in the City of Mercy against a Chi-You." I respond.

"You know, I've been meaning to talk to you about your God Arc." Licca begins and I stay silent waiting for her to continue, "I've noticed that your shield is not scratched at all. Are you even using it?"

"Shield?" I repeat.

"You do know that there is a shield, don't you?" Licca asks but my face remains blank.

"God, you are hopeless." Licca sighs, "You can only use it when you are using your melee weapon. There is a button that you can use to deploy it and retract it." Licca says.

"Get your God Arc and I'll show you." I retrieve my God Arc and go back to her. She shows me the where the button to control the shield is and I thank her before going back to the upper levels of the Branch. I decide to stop at one of the terminals so I can research about the Chi-You,  
"Ah so that bat thing is a Chi-You." I speak to myself as I look at the photograph. I turn off the terminal and re-enter the lift to head to the helicopters located on the roof. The pilot was already waiting and the helicopter's blades were already spinning. Thus I jumped straight in and we left.

When I arrived at the City of Mercy, I decided to do a little scouting around the area to see if there were any decent materials lying around. I found a few herbs and weak magnets. It wasn't really worth scouting around but I may be able to create something with these salvaged items later. It wasn't until I had this revelation that I realised that I had wasted 10 minutes of the mission time to search for materials. Thus I decided to locate the Chi-You. Minutes later, I found the Chi-You at point L.

The Chi-You was eating the remains of an Ogretail and I decided to set a few stun traps. I had finished setting the traps and noticed that the Chi-You was still yet to notice me.

'It still hasn't noticed me? I thought they had good hearing' I thought to myself. I decided to find some cover and use my God Arc's gun form which is a sniper rifle. It aimed at the Chi-You's head and noticed that it did not have any ears. Continuing to inspect it, I noticed that its wings, and arms were also damaged.

'What caused it to be so damaged?' I ask myself while changing the bullet type in my God Arc from Blaze to Freeze.

"Well enough waiting" I mumble to myself. I emerge from the cover and fire three Freeze Bullets. They all hit the Chi-You and it finally notices me. I change the form of my God Arc back to blade form. The Chi-You roars and jumps into the air. Knowing this attack well, I use the God Arc's shield to block its attack. The force of its attack pushes me back about 10 metres but I immediately start running towards it and hack at the already damaged areas. After I have hit it about 10 times it almost curls up and stops attacking. When I see this I immediately devour it and its core. My God Arc beeps and I notice that the screen on it mentions the items that I have acquired from devouring the Chi-You. The items are: 3x Avian tendons and 1x Avian wing. I rest the God Arc on my shoulder and begin to walk to the meet up point.

'I will contact Hibari when I get there' I think to myself as I continue walking through point J.

I would have made it further than point J but it appears that the two other teams I was informed about had met. With me though, that makes the three teams. They looked confused as well. The team consisting of Sakuya, Soma and Kota appears to have came from point H whilst the team consisting of Lindow and Alisa appears to have come from point B.

"The hell?" Soma says as he sees me and the other team.

"Hey, guys..." Lindow says in response, also looking at the other teams.

"Lindow, what up? Why are you here?" Kota raises the question. Alisa mumbles something but Sakuya speaks up,

"Was this an error? Or maybe they sent three teams to cover this region." I respond to her and everyone's attention is focused on me,

"Hibari said that there would be three teams here so I don't think it is an error. I've just finished my mission."

"Well, let's wrap up the mission and head back." Lindow begins, "Hey, Winter. Want to join?"

"Yeah, why not." I respond.

"Good. Winter, Sakuya, Soma, Kota you cover the eterior while Alisa and I'll cover the inside of the church. Cool?" Lindow asks and without waiting for a response, Lindow and Alisa head into the church. Seconds later, I hear,

"Fall back. We've got to cover the flanks." from Lindow. There is also screaming,

"Daddy! No! Nooo! Mommy, please! Don't eat them, no!"

"What the hell is going on in there?" Soma asks. I look to him and say,

"Let's check it out."

"Right." he responds and we start running over just in time to see rubble fall and block the entrance to the church's main interior. Alisa is on our side of the rubble which means that Lindow is either on the other side, or he has been crushed. Sakuya and Kota rushes in and also see the rubble.

"Alisa! What the hell happened?" Sakuya angrily shouts. Soma, seeing Sakuya entering, rushes outside to be a lookout.

"No... I didn't mean to, Mom... Papa, I don't want to... I didn't... I'm sorry." Alisa sobs.

"She's having a mental breakdown, Sakuya." I say. Sakuya turns towards the rubble, God Arc in hand, and shoots. It has no effect though.

"There's too many of them!" I hear Soma shout from outside of the church. One of the Prithvi Matas that were on the outside decided to run at Kota, knocking them both into the church. Sakuya shoots at the Prithvi Mata as she notices this. It turns towards the three of us. I run towards it and try slashing at it but it has little effect.

"Hurry up! We've gotta get the hell out!" Soma shouts towards us as he is forced to retreat to the interior due to the wave of Prithvi Matas outside. The Prithvi Mata I was slashing at notices that Soma is closer and heads towards him and thus outside. Kota gets back up and continues to fire at this Aragami. We hear a voice from the other side of the rubble,

"I need you to take Alisa ad get back to the Den, now! You hear me?" Lindow shouts.

"Lindow, We're..." Sakuya starts before Lindow cuts her off,

"Dammit! Do this for me! Take Alisa and fall back to the Den! Sakuya, you have charge of the newbies. Soma, cut them a path outta here!" Meanwhile, Alisa continued her breakdown.

"She's too far out of it! I'll have to carry her back!" I rush to Alisa, "Alisa, do me a favour and keep a hold of your God Arc." I say as I position myself to pick her up. Her grasp in her God Arc tightens and her head rests on my back as she continues mumbling.

"Sakuya, we've got to move! Now!" I shout.

"Lindow, break through and come with us!" Sakuya shouts, determined to save Lindow.

"Yeah, I'd love to, but I think these monsters need to be taught a lesson first! Save some of that awful rationed beer for me!" Lindow shouts back.

"If you're not going, then I will stay and fight!" Sakuya replies with determination in her voice.

"Sakuya..." Lindow begins and I notice that Kota is running towards us. "Sakuya, i'm ordering you. Get them back safe, please. Don't let them die." Lindow exclaims desperately.

"No! I won't leave you!" Sakuya says.

"Kota!" I shout grabbing his attention, "Sakuya isn't going to come back willingly. We need to drag her with us. Can you do that?"

"Of course." Kota responds and grabs her by the arm. Forcefully taking her with us.

"Thanks Newbie!" I hear from the other side of the rubble. "Don't let anyone die!"

"You got it!" I shout and run after them. Coming to her senses, Sakuya starts shooting the Aragami.

"Soma, Kota, Sakuya! Cut us a path! I'll provide healing bullets!" I command, taking leadership of the group since Sakuya wasn't in the right state to do so.

"Right!" Is the collective response from the three. 10 minutes later, a clear path was formed and we radioed Hibari.

"Hibari! Do you copy?" I ask loudly.

"Hibari here." She responds.

"I need you to arrange for a helicopter to pick us up. I hate to tell you this but we are coming back with one person less." I state calmly and am met with a quiet response,

"A helicopter is on route."

"Thanks Hibari" I respond before turning off the radio. There are a few responses before I am met with an angry voice,

"You!" Sakuya shouts at me and draws my attention, "Why couldn't you do anything?" Sakuya shouted before continuing, "The person that can kill Aragami with his bare hands!" Sakuya made a mocking gesture. I look at her and then at the others. I notice that Kota seems to have become more depressed at her shouting and Soma just stiffens his posture.

"Hey! Look at me when I talk to you!" Sakuya shouted once again, clearly distressed about leaving Lindow behind. I return my attention to her.

"We could have saved Lindow!" Sakuya continues. I feel Alisa, who had become unconscious, twitch at the mention of Lindow. I decide to remain silent and let Sakuya blow off some kept rambling and I just ignored her, even when the helicopter came and we were picked up she didn't stop.

Arriving on the roof of the Far East Branch, we were met with Tsubaki. We got off the helicopter and, with Alisa on my back, headed towards her.

"I see Lindow hasn't returned." Tsubaki stated in her business tone of voice.

"He ordered us to leave him!" Sakuya shouted with her finger pointed at me. Tsubaki turns to me,

"Can you explain yourself?"

"Lindow's orders. The church collapsed and he is trapped inside. Alisa suffered a mental breakdown." I explained myself.

"I'll have Doctor Oguruma treat her. Take her to the infirmary." As she says that I head to the lift and head to the infirmary. I put Alisa on the bed as a doctor walks in and thus I head out and into Doctor Sakaki's laboratory.


	13. Chapter 13 - A Date?

From the Start

Chapter 13 - A Date?

"Speech"

'Thoughts'

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Also, please leave a review.

Winter's POV

Walking into Sakaki's laboratory I noticed he had a visitor. Kanon was talking to Sakaki but must have stopped when she heard me enter.

"Hey Kanon." I greet her with a small smile on my face. She fidgets with her fingers and shyly replies, almost sadly,

"Hey Winter." Doctor Sakaki then decides to speak up,

"We'll continue what we were discussing later Kanon." Sakaki starts in his usual voice before turning to me, "Winter. Are you here to give me your report on the mission?"

"I am." I answer and turn to Kanon, "I don't think you will want to hear this, Kanon. It may be best for you to wait outside."

"I'm fine. I'm sure I can handle it." Kanon says back cheerfully although inside she is probably feeling nervous.

"Okay then." I turn back to Doctor Sakaki, "I obtained the items you wanted. I'll just need to take them out of the terminal. My mission went fine, however I came across the other two teams. I decided to help them out." I began, "To summarise, due to a mental breakdown on Alisa's part, Lindow became trapped. Surrounded by Prithvi Mata. His chances of survival are slim." I finished. The smile had gone from Sakaki's face. Turning to Kanon, I noticed that she was emotionless. She moved out of the laboratory.

"I see." Doctor Sakaki answered. "Please retrieve the Avian Tendons and bring them to me." He continued and resumed working on his computer. I decided to leave the laboratory and head to the terminal in my room.

I entered my room, however Kanon was also in my room; sitting on one of the couches and rubbing her right arm with her left hand.

"How do you keep entering my room?" I ask humorously. She moves her eyes towards me but keeps her head straight and with a slight smile she answers,

"You never lock your door."

"Fair enough." I begin before walking to my terminal to withdraw the Avian Tendons.

"I've never understood how items can be taken out like that." Kanon states as she sees me take out the Avian Tendons.

"You're not the only one" is my, almost instantaneous, response. I turn towards her with the items in hand.

"So why are you here?" I ask curiously and crouch down to her eye level. She makes eye contact with me and the small smile on her face disappears. She moves her head away and asks sadly,

"Why are your eyes like that?"

"What do you mean?" I ask with genuine confusion. She turns her head back to mine and her hands hold my face.

"Why are they black?" She asks with worry riddled in her features.

"My eyes are black?" I repeat before continuing, "I've never noticed."

"How old are you?" Kanon asks with curiosity in her voice but worry still in her features.

"18" I answer.

"We are young," Kanon begins, "Your eyes should not be black." I remain silent and let her continue. I notice that she begins to cry.

"You rarely show your emotions." She still holds my head with her arms but ducks her head to regain her composure. One minute later, she begins to speak again,

"When you told Miss Amamiya of the death of Eric, when you told Doctor Sakaki and I about Lindow's survival chances," She starts with tears, once again, welling up in her eyes, "you did it so matter of factly. No emotions." She grows quiet with her head lowering to conceal the tears.

"Don't cry Kanon." I say as I use my left hand to lift her head up so that we can maintain eye contact. "What are you trying to say?" She almost bursts into tears,

"Even now, you're emotionless. Even when a person is crying in your room." Kanon sobs before getting to the point she was trying to make or rather, the question she was trying to ask,

"What have you seen in your life to make you like this?" She shouts as she loses her composure. Her hands drop from my face to conceal hers. Admittedly, I am surprised by her question.

"You must care about me quite a bit to feel this way." I whisper to myself.

"Kanon." I state her name as I remove her hands from her face and proceed to wipe away the tears on her face. I give her the truth, already knowing how she will react,

"I will tell you someday Kanon, just not today." I say softly. Expectedly, she starts to cry again. I am prepared for it however,

"Kanon. You've completed a mission today right?"

"Ye-yes" She stutters.

"In that case, wait right here." I say as I head out of my room.

Kanon's POV

'Why does he want me to wait in his room?' I ask myself while trying to stop myself from crying. I can't help it though. He rarely expresses his emotions.

'What has he seen in his life?' I notice that my cheeks are becoming wet again. However, in my current state I begin thinking of all the possibilities that had made him become emotionless.

'He said before that he has seen death, right? How many people has he seen die? How did they die? Did his family die? His friends? His girlfriend? Wait, girlfriend? Does he have a girlfriend? Or did her have a girlfriend? I'll have to ask him about that. Wait, why do I have to ask him about that? Anyway, I have decided I am going to help him express all his emotions. But first I've got to...' I lose my train of thought when Winter comes back into the room. He has two tickets in his hand.

Winter's POV

Once I left my room I went straight to the laboratory. I opened the door to the laboratory,

"Hey Doc, here's the Avian Tendons." I say as I walk to his desk and pass them to him.

"Good thanks. Can I also have a blood sample?" He asks with his usual smile on his face.

"Sure, but make it quick." I respond as he gets up and gets the equipment ready. A few minutes later and the equipment is hooked up to my left arm.

"Hey, Sakaki," I start to get his attention. He looks up to me and responds with,

"Yes, what is it?"

"Do you know where I can get passes to the Outer Ghetto?"

"Yes. Hibari has the passes at the front desk. If you don't mind me asking, why?" Sakaki asks with curiosity in his voice.

"Kanon's feeling a bit depressed. I'm gonna try and cheer her up." I respond as I repeatedly clench and unclench my fist to give more blood.

"Ah, very well. If you wait here I will give her a call to get the passes ready. You need permission to get the passes you see." Sakaki says as he heads to his desk.

"Thanks Doc." I say with gratitude in my voice and continue to give blood. A few minutes and a phone call later and I am ready to collect the passes. Before I leave, Sakaki reminds me,

"Don't forget, since you've just gave a blood sample you may become light-headed so take it easy."

"Okay, thanks Doc." I reply as I run out of the room to retrieve the passes.

Five minutes later and I return to my room with the passes in my hand.

"Kanon." I say to make sure I've got her attention. I move closer and crouch so that we are eye level again. "I've got two passes for the Outer Ghetto. Want to come with me and how me around?" I ask with a smile on my face. I see the surprise in her features but her eyes appear to light up,

"Yes!" She exclaims happily. I stand to full height and she gets up from the couch. She has a large smile on her face and I can't help but to smile more at this. She seems really excited.

"Cute" I say quietly and see her face become red. She fiddles with her fingers as she tells me to shut up.

"Well, shall we head out?"

"Okay!"

10 minutes later and we officially enter the Outer Ghetto.

"What should I show you first?" Kanon almost shouts excitedly, "Come on, Winter!" She continues as she takes my hand and we run to the nearest shop. Well, I say shop, what I really mean is a merchant with items laid on a material.

"What do you think of this, Winter?" Kanon asks as she picks up a necklace and shows it to me.

"Good choice." Th merchant begins, "that necklace is said to bring luck to the wearer and who the wearer cares about." Kanon's smile suddenly becomes much wider. I on the other hand voice my opinion,

"That's oddly specific."

"Nonsense, my child." The merchant says with a large smile on her face, "this necklace was mad from the finest materials before the Aragami came to be. Besides, it looks like it was made for your girlfriend."

"Girlfriend?" I repeat as I notice Kanon is in a world of her ow and is fiddling with the necklace. "She's not my girlfriend." I tell the merchant.

"Of course not sonny. Now, about my payment." The merchant states. I look towards Kanon who looks to be truly happy with the necklace.

"How much for it?" I enquire with a sigh.

"10,000 Fenrir Credits!" The merchant says happily.

'How much!" I scream in my thoughts, 'That's three missions worth of pay!'

"Fine. Here." I say as I transfer 10,000FC to the merchant.

"Pleasure doing business with ya." The merchant says back as Kanon and I keep moving forward.

A few minutes later and Kanon comes to a stop and I do the same. She continues to fiddle with the necklace in her hands and shyly asks,

"Can you - can you put it on me?" Confused, but with a growing smile, I take the necklace from her hands,

"turn around" I tell her and she does. I hold the necklace so that the two parts that need to be tied are in both of my hands. I move towards her and move my hands, holding the necklace, to the front of her neck. I move the necklace back so that I can attach the necklace at the back of her neck.

"There you go." I say as she turns back around. Her cheeks are red and she asks,

"How does it look?"

"Beautiful." I answer with my smile still present. My answer only appears to make her become even more red. It is only now that I notice that there is less than 50cm of distance between us. I start to feel warm at the cheeks so I step back and ask,

"Okay, where to next?" This brings Kanon back to her usual colour and her usual smile,

"Right. Erm... Are you hungry?" Kanon asks while smiling.

"Yeah, I am actually."

"Great! I know the best place to go!" Kanon shouts and grabs my hand causing us to run to our next destination.

A short run later and we have arrived at a place called 'Bill's Food Hole'. Kanon leads the way as we enter and head to what looks like a bar.

"Ah, Kanon. I didn't expect to see you so soon." A guy with a rather large frame asks while cleaning out a glass.

"Yeah well, I've brought a friend."

"Oh, so he's your boyfriend?" the guy asks.

"I'm/ He's not her/my boyfriend." We both say at the same time.

"Of course not." The guy says with a smile on his face.

"Shut up Bill and give me two of the usual." Kanon says annoyed.

"Okay your majesty."

"Shut up!" She shouts back. The guy, now known as Bill leaves to see to the food.

"So, what did you order for us?" I ask Kanon.

"You'll see. It is the best food ever!" Kanon replies with an ecstatic face. 10 minutes of me attempting to start a conversation only to be told by Kanon that talking can wait until the food arrives, the food finally arrives. I notice that it appears to be a sandwich with a filling that I am not familiar with.

"What's in this sandwich?" I ask Kanon only to be met with a response of,

"Just try it." With her words, I try the sandwich. It was very appetising. It had the texture of meat but there was an explosion of flavours.

"You're right. This is good." I say before I take another bite.

"Isn't it! And would you believe me if I told you the chef, Mutsumi, is only 6 years old!" I stopped chewing at that and the smile was wiped from my face. Most 6 year olds are brats! What do they know about cooking? Or even Hygiene?

"Winter? Why did you stop..." Kanon was interrupted by a voice over the radio that we were required to bring,

"Attention all God Eaters! There has been a breach in the Anti-Aragami Wall! Aragami are entering the Outer Ghetto!" This caused a panic and everybody was screaming. Kanon was in shock, I grabbed her by the shoulders and said,

"Kanon! Kanon!" I shake her and bring her out of her shock.

"I need you to sprint back to the Den and get your God Arc!"

"What? What about you?" Kanon shouts back with worry present in her voice.

"I have experience of fighting Aragami without a God Arc remember? I need you to run back! I won't be able to stop all of them!"

"But you could be killed!" Kanon shouts back, still worrying.

"I'm sure that there are already God Eaters on their way to kill the Aragami and they will help me!" I begin as I forcefully move Kanon and I push her outside. Once we get outside I look to see where the breach is and it is significantly closer than I thought.

"Sprint and don't look back Kanon! Go!" I say and push her in the direction of the Far East Branch.  
"Listen! The sooner you get your God Arc, the sooner you can help me!" That sees to have brought her to her senses as she starts sprinting in the direction I was pushing her in. When I see this, I start running towards where the Aragami broke in.

"Hibari!" I shout into the radio on my jacket, "Tell me what Aragami I'm up against!"

"Accrding to our records it is three Vajra and 12 Ogretails. Be careful, I know you're going to fight without your God Arc."

"Thanks Hibari." I say and continue to sprint to the hole in the Anti-Aragami Wall.


	14. Chapter 14

From the Start

Chapter 14 - Hole in the Wall

"Speech"

'Thoughts'

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Also, please leave a review.

Winter's POV

Continuing to sprint towards the breach was a difficult task. There was a continuous stampede of Ghetto residents heading in the opposite direction to me. After numerous attempts of moving in the opposite direction to the swarm, I decided that the only way that I will be able to get to the breach was to go over them. This can only be done by running along the poorly constructed slums. After making my way over to the side of a building, I was able to scramble on top of it. As I got up onto the slum, I could see that there were a lot of holes in the roofs of them.

"How do people even live in these conditions?" I murmur to myself as I carefully run across the roofs, evading any holes that I could fall into. However, my luck didn't continue as the roof of the slum I had just landed on caved in and I fell in with it. Luckily there was nobody occupying the slum, however, there were numerous plank of broken wood, probably from the roof, littered on the floor. Seeing these as potential weapons, I picked up as many of them as I can. Unfortunately, my limit was four; two in each hand. I emerged from the slum and continued towards the breach. There were a lot less people in the pathway now as most of them had been a part of the stampede from earlier. Unfortunately, these stragglers will be the first to die. As I headed towards the breach, I found much more salvageable materials. There were metal poles, glass, barbed wire, scissors, bricks and sellotape. Using my craftsmanship skills I was able to construct multiple weapons which included scissors sellotaped onto multiple metal poles and barbed wire on multiple planks of wood.

"Hopefully this will do until I come across Aragami materials." I say to myself and make my way to another slum. I climb onto the slum and stand to full height, being careful to spread my weight evenly so that I do not make the slum's roof collapse. I look around to get a better grasp of where the Aragami have went. I see that one Ogretail has split off from a larger group of 5 and head to that area. I sneak up to one of the slums that is near it. I use my brick and throw it behind the Ogretail which causes it to turn at the noise. I see this as a chance and sneak towards it an prepare my metal weapon all the while tiinking,

'Using my knowledge of where the core of an Ogretail is, if I can just hit it a few times with the scissors then I should be able to kill it.'

I hold my weapon tighter as I get within five metres of the Aragami before leaping into the air and onto its back. It feels me land on its back and thrashes but I use the metal pole to and pierce into the area that I calculated the core is. The area is slightly below its neck and I break it as I pierce into it with the scissors. I jump off its back as it crumples to the ground. I use the scissors to hack away at some of the limbs of the Aragami. I now have two Ogretail legs that I can use as weapons and, using the rest of the sellotape, stick the Ogretail's head to one of its legs.

"This actually feels quite light." I say to myself as I take a few practice swings with my make-shift God Arc. I hear a roar and notice that another Ogretail has stumbled upon me. It roars even louder to alert the others of my presence. However, as it roars, I lunge at the Ogretail and stab the metal pole with scissors attached into its mouth and luckily damage its core. It crumples to the ground and I hide behind it to hide myself from the other Aragami that had decided to look this way. Luck is on my side as the Aragami resume their activity and do not investigate why the Ogretail roared. I wait a few more seconds before standing up and removing the legs of the Ogretail I had just killed. Now I had four Ogretail legs, one of which has the head attached, as well as the tail, body and head of the second Ogretail all as one weapon. I proceed to the larger group of Ogretails.

Coming within a 50 metre radius of the Ogretail pack, I pick up a brick and throw it beside me. This attracts the attention of two of the Ogretails. They rush towards the sound. However, they both go in a different direction. One goes to my right and one to the left. I decide to take care of the one to the right so I move further towards it so that I can ambush it. It moves closer and I use the Ogretail leg with the head attached to hit it. The weapon makes a clean cut through one of the legs of the Ogretail and I use this to my advantage and slash at the core of the Ogretail.

"One down, four more to go." I say quietly as I turn around. Only to be met with the face of an Ogretail. Shocked, I jump backwards and out of cover which allows the other three Ogretails to see me. I immediately start running towards the Ogretail that shocked me and, with the two Ogretail weapons I crafted, slash at the Aragami. It dies after the two slashes but, with my back turned, two of the other three Ogretails decide to pounce. I notice this and only just manage to roll away from the pouncing Aragami that crash into each other I take this opportunity to slash at them and destroy them. Turning around, I notice that the remaining Ogretail sends a barrage of spikes towards me. I evade this and they hit the ground and shatter into numerous pieces.

'I can use them later.' I think to myself as I launch myself towards the Aragami, holding my two weapons in my hands. I slash at the Ogretail once I reach it but it springs back onto its tail. Anticipating the pounce, I wait. When it does pounce I swing my weapons at it and split it in two. Then I proceed to the spikes that the Ogretail shot at me and create spears.

5 minutes and the rest of the Ogretails later, there are just three Vajras remaining. I climb on top of another slum and look around. I see a helicopter in the distance,

"That'll b my backup." I say quietly and continue to look around. I notice that a Vajra has cornered two civilians; a mother with a child in her arms. I immediately head in that direction. The Vajra roars right at the two people and using the Ogretail weapons, I hack at its teeth; causing most of them to drop out. It reels back in pain.

"You two should hide." I tell them,

"Thank you." The mother says back before running away. Th Vajra takes notice of me and roars again. This allows me to use two of my spears and blind it by stabbing them into its eyes. However, the roar alerts the two other Vajra and they both sprint towards me. I use their momentum against them by moving just as the two Vajra crash into each other allowing me to blind these two as well. The first Vajra that I had blinded swipes it claw towards me and I am forced to jump back. It hits the third Vajra that I blinded and the two of them start swiping at each other.

"This could actually work out." I say and turn towards the second Vajra. It roars and I see electricity starting to rise within a 50 metre radius. I start running to be outside of the electricity field. I only make it about 40 metres away from the Vajra when,

"Ah!" I scream in pain and am only just able to remain consciousness. Thee electricity hits the other two Vajra and they charge up their own electric attacks. Unable to move, I am forced to experience the pain or another two electric attacks. This time, I am unable to stay conscious and everything begins to turn black. Before everything does become black though, I hear a desperate shout,

"Winter!" It was a female's voice.

"Winter!" I hear a male's voice before everything turns black.

Buildings are on fire all around me and all I can hear is the pained screams of people that are close to me. In the first floor of the building I am in, there are countless flames. The smoke is rising and begins to choke everyone on the higher floors, including myself, my family and my friends.

"We're going to have to jump!" A 12 year old me shouts.

"Are you joking? We're on the fifth floor!" Is the response I am met with.

"Listen! If we try to get to a lower floor then the smoke and heat will become worse! We will die before we reach the first floor! If we jump now, we can still survive!"

"Nonsense! We will continue forwards!" The same man, my father, responds.

"Fine then! I'm going to jump out! I'll meet you on the outside!" I shout and jump out of the window. I hear them scream my name when I jump. I land with minor injuries, somehow, and look back at the window I jumped out of. Nobody is there. I walk towards the entrance to the first floor. Minutes later and they still have not come out.

"Where are they?" I say silently to myself, looking around and noticing that all the other buildings have collapsed. I then hear the foundations give way. I turn towards the sound and see the building collapse.

"There's no way anybody survived." I say, emotionless, "Everybody would have been crushed under the higher five floors and that is if they were still on the fifth floor." I turn away from the building and walk away. Everything then becomes white.

Remembering my fight with the Vajras, my eyes shoot wide open. Only to be met by a blindingly white wall. I her a giggle.

"You know, you shouldn't have done that." I turn my head to the right; where I heard the voice. I see Sakuya sitting there.

"I never thought I would see you sitting at my bedside." I state as I try to ease myself into a sitting position. I fail though and hear another giggle,

"Here, I'll help." Sakuya says as she grabs me from under my arms to pull me into a sitting position.

"So..." I begin, "What happened?" I ask Sakuya curiously.

"Well, we won." Sakuya started before I intercepted,

"Any casualties?"

"Thanks to your skills, there were none. I mean, apart from you." Is Sakuya's response and I give relieved sigh.

"You gave Kanon quite the scare though." She speaks again which draws my attention.

"She hardly ever left your side."

"Wait, how long have I been here?" I enquire.

"Three days. In fact, I only recently kicked her out of the infirmary so that she can go and eat something."

"She's been at my side?" I repeat confused, "Why?"

"Oh like you don't know." Sakuya responds sarcastically.

"I know she cares about me but I didn't know she cares that much"

"She does" She replies and an awkward silence begins.

"Winter, listen." Sakuya starts as she rubs her neck, "about the other day."

"Don't worry about it." I interrupt her, "I know how much he means to you." That leaves her speechless. "It's obvious that you care for him Sakuya."

"Thank you, Winter." She says. Seconds later a question pops into my head,

"Hey, what happened to Alisa?" Sakuya gets up and moves to the other side of the bed where she moves the sheet back from the bed on the left of mine.

"She's been here since you left her." Sakuya says sadly. Sakuya continues, turning to me,

"Hey you're going to be here for at least a week. Can you..."

"A week?" I shout.

"Well, yeah. You were hit with three electric attacks. That will take a while for your body to heal." Sakuya answers.

"Oh." Is my dejected response.

"Anyway, can you look out for her while you're in here?" Sakuya asks as she moves towards the door.

"Yeah sure."

"Great. Thanks" Sakuya responds before leaving the infirmary.


	15. Chapter 15

From the Start

Chapter 15 - Infirmary Days

"Speech"

'Thoughts'

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Also, please leave a review.

Day 1 - Winter's POV

After Sakuya had left the infirmary it was just me and an unconscious Alisa left in the room. Looking over at her, I noticed that the heartbeat monitor was indicating a heartbeat at an above regular pace.

'There's nothing I can do about that.' I think to myself before looking forward, still in the sitting position that Sakuya helped put me in.

'By the sound of how worried Kanon was, she will probably visit me soon.' Sure enough, 10 minutes later, Kanon comes into the infirmary; holding her right arm over her stomach.

"Winter!" She sees me and rushes over. She sits in the seat that Sakuya was in and reaches her right hand over to mine.

"You're awake!" Kanon exclaims happily.

"I know." I reply with a smile on my face and humour in my voice.

"I was so worried." Kanon says and puts her left hand on her chest. "You were hit with multiple electric attacks from the Vajras."

"I know. I felt it." I say humorously.

"You're just lucky I was able to move you away." Kanon says with a devilish smile on her face as if to say 'you owe me'.

"Wait, how did you move me away?" I say incredulously.

"Hey! I'm a lot stronger than I look!" Kanon replies with a little pout and moves her hand away from mine as she crosses her arms over her chest.

"Okay, well, since you're the one who picked me up, I can assume you were the female voice hat I heard. Who was the male's voice?" I ask curiously.

"It was probably someone from the Defence Unit."

"So you don't know who it was?"

"No. Besides that guy didn't even try to move you away from the Vajras. Anyway, you should get some rest." Kanon says as she stands up and brushes her skirt.

"I've been resting for three days though!" I say back as she begins to walk away.

"Well, get comfortable. You need to stay here for a week." Kanon says as she continues to walk away.

"Wait!" I shout as the reaches the door. She turns back to me,

"I have difficulty moving, can you - help me to lie down?" I ask nervously. She appears to be in shock for a minute, or possibly even contemplating her answer but then,

"Okay!" She says almost too excitedly for my tastes. She walks towards me with a large smile on her face before she helps me into a lying position.

"Anyway, sleep tight!" She shouts almost skipping to the door.

"Yeah, ok." I say back, confused at her sudden happiness. Kanon leaves and I go to sleep.

Day 2

Opening my eyes from my peaceful slumber I am, once again, met with a white ceiling. I move my hands up to my eyes to rub the sleep away from them. Only after rubbing them I realise I don't feel any pain. I move my legs to see if I can move them without any pain; I can. I swing my legs over to the side of the hospital bed and stand up. I do a few squats to exercise my legs.

"I didn't think you would be up and moving this quickly." Doctor Sakaki says suddenly which gives me a shock and causes me to look in his direction. He is near numerous equipment.

"It is indeed interesting." Sakaki continues, "I must investigate as to how you were able to heal so quickly." He leaves the machinery and walks towards me.

"Do you mind if I take a blood sample?" Sakaki asks as he steps in front of me. It takes me 30 more seconds to realise I have been asked a question with me still in shock about the Doctor's sudden appearance.

"Yeah, go ahead." I answer him.

"Great! I'll need you to lie back on the bed." He informs me and I follow his instruction. He heads back to the machinery he was at before and re-emerges with some equipment I don't recognise.

"Unfortunately, the infirmary doesn't have specialist equipment like my Lab does." Sakaki states, "So we'll have to use this equipment. Do not worry though, it shouldn't hurt."

"Shouldn't?" I repeat curiously. The Doctor then proceeds with the procedure, causing me mild pain.

"Thank you, Winter." He says, holding my blood sample, "I will go and investigate this immediately." He continues and heads to the door of the infirmary.

"Oh! Before I forget, the next time I visit I will expect to hear how you were able to craft such magnificent weapons." He says before he actually leaves the infirmary. After giving my blood I start to feel drowsy and eventually succumb to sleep.

Hours later I feel myself awaken, however, I do not open my eyes. I feel a hand on mine. A feminine hand. I revel in its warmth before opening my eyes and feeling the hand move away.

"Ah, you're awake." Comes the joyous voice of Kanon.

"I am now." I say.

"I thought you would have woken up a lot earlier and I got worried."

"Don't worry about it." I begin as I sit up, "Sakaki was in here earlier and asked for a blood sample."

"Is that it?" Kanon asks.

"Yep, that's it."

"Oh that's a relief." Kanon lets out a sigh. There was a few seconds of silence before Kanon spoke again,

"Oh, I ran into Kota earlier. He said that you did a great job killing the 12 Ogretails and blinding the three Vajras. How did you do that by the way?" Kanon asked curiously.

"I would like to know that as well." Came Doctor Sakaki's voice from seemingly nowhere.

"How come you are so silent when you move?" I ask Doctor Sakaki, surprised at hearing the sound of his voice.

"Never mind that, can you answer the question?" Sakaki says with the same curious look on his face as Kanon's. They both look at me waiting for my answer.

"Well, first of all, I created a few weapons out of metal poles, wooden planks and other materials. Then I killed the first Ogretail that I had seen wandered off from the group." I start but am interrupted by Sakaki,

"But regular materials shouldn't work against Aragami."

"Well, I went straight for its core. It didn't stand a chance." I say matter of factly before continuing, "Then I broke off the legs and the head of the Ogretail and made a make-shift God Arc." I saw that Kanon's usual pink complexion became green at that.

"It should have been impossible for you to pick up an Aragami let alone cut its limbs off." Sakaki speaks up.

"Well, I somehow picked it up and used them to kill the other Ogretails. Then I used the Ogretail's spikes to blind the Vajra and they began fighting each other and using electric attacks. That is as much as I know."

"Interesting." Sakaki said before wandering off with a hand to his chin.

"What happened after that, Kanon?" I ask her.

"Well," She begins while fiddling with her fingers, "After I brought you back, the Defence Unit just let the Vajras attack each other and extracted their core once they became heavily injured. So effectively, you killed three Vajras and twelve Ogretails."

"Wow. Didn't think I'd solo them all." I say surprised.

"Don't forget that you are in the infirmary for 5 more days because of that!" Kanon says, "Anyway, I should let you rest, You are supposed to be recovering. I'll see you tomorrow." Kanon continued with a smile on her face before leaving the infirmary. Seeing no other choice, I went back to sleep.

Day 3

I wake up carefully this time because I have learned my lesson about the white washed walls in the infirmary. I hear typing on a computer. I sit myself up and look around the room. I identify the cause of the noise to be a man with a yellow shirt and hat as well as a white lab coat.

"Ah, good evening young man." He says as he notices me staring at him.

"Evening?" I repeat curiously.

"Yes, evening. The time is 17:45. You've been asleep for a long time" The guy walks closer towards me, "I am Doctor Daigo Oguruma. I am Alisa's personal doctor." At the mention of her name I turn towards her.

"What's her condition?" I ask as I stand up and walk to one of the seats next to her bed.

"She is currently stable." Oguruma says as he walks towards the bed. We hear Alisa groan.

"There's no use talking to her when she's like this. The tranquillisers I have are very effective. She'll be unconscious for hours." I move my right hand to hers. I see a flash of images before my eyes but am suddenly brought back into the room. Surprisingly, Alisa opens her eyes and gasps.

"Wh-where am I? Why am I... So..." She says turning her head towards me. My face must display my surprise as she stares at me. I turn to Doctor Oguruma to see his face is one of shock.

"What? No, no, no... How could she have regained consciousness? That's - no. There's no way... I'm sorry, I have to make a record of this." Oguruma says as he walks out of the room. I turn my head back to Alisa.

"You're in the infirmary Alisa." I answer her previous question.

"Just now... Just a moment ago, you..." I look at my hand with confused thoughts.

'What did I do to wake her up?' I think to myself as Alisa drops back into unconsciousness. I remove myself from her bedside and lay down in my bed while trying to comprehend what I had seen in those images. After thinking for hours on end, I feel myself drifting to sleep.

Day 4

I wake up the next day to find Sakuya at my bed side. She must have heard me awaken as she starts talking,

"Winter, Tsubaki told us earlier that Lindow's status has been changed to Missing in Action Discharged." She says sadly. "She also says that the search for Lindow has been stopped." This time she does start crying. I sit myself up and tell her softly,

"He's only missing. It does not mean that he is dead. We will find him at some point."

"Thank you Winter, but I think I need to be alone now." Sakuya says as she gets up and leaves the infirmary. I take time to gather my thought before going to Alisa's side. Sitting down and holding her hand. Again, I see images in my head.

"Here we come!"

"No, wait... Not yet!" A girl's voice shouts.

"Ready or not! Here we come!"

"No, wait... Not yet!" The voice shouts again. I assume that this is Alisa.

" Here we come! Ready or not!"

"Okay, I'm ready now." I hear as I see that my vision has been impaired by a large wooden structure. I can see through a small gap and see two people moving. They are approaching me but they suddenly turn towards their right. I see an Aragami close in and eat them.

"Daddy! No! Nooo! Mommy, please! Don't eat them, no!" It turns towards me.

"Nooo! Make it stop! Make it stop!" That is all I see before the image turns to an older Alisa.

"How young. How defenceless. How you must have cursed at your powerlessness." Comes a male's voice and Alisa screams as the machine to become a God Eater closes on her wrist.

"Now overcome the anguish. Push past it into fury, and you can avenge them... All of them..." The male voice continued as Alisa still screams in agony.

"There. Fight, Alisa! Rise above it! Yes, that potential!" The image changes again. This time though, I see Alisa in an infirmary bed with Doctor Oguruma beside her.

"These are your enemies. The ones that hurt you, Alisa. The Aragami exist only to hunt, only to kill."

"Aragami... Only to kill..." Alisa repeats, dazed.

"Yes Alisa. Only to kill. They will rip away from you, make you suffer. " Doctor Oguruma continues as I see images of Aragami on a computer right in front of Alisa.

"And this is the one you must make an end of. This is the one..." The computer shows multiple images of Lindow.

"The Aragami that killed your family. The one that Devoured your mother and father."

"Papa... Mama..." Alisa says dazed.

"You're stronger now. Strong enough to fight. To kill on your own. It's easy to take a life. Just aim your God Arc and pull the trigger."

"Pull... Pull the trigger..." Alisa repeats.

"This will keep you safe. Repeat these words as you pull he trigger, Alisa. Odin... Dva... Tri..."

"Odin... Dva... Tri..." Alisa repeats.

"Yes, perfect. Remember them, keep them close. .They will keep you strong and safe.

"Odin... Dva... Tri..." Alisa repeats.

The images stop and Alisa's eyes shoot open. She sits up and asks,

"What... What happened?" as she turns her head to me. She continues,

"I felt it... Like being inside your skin... Thoughts and emotions that weren't mine... Did it... Did it happen to you too? Did you see?" I nod my head in response. She looks down, dejectedly.

"I had forgotten that day... I pushed it down so deep that even I couldn't find the memory... My papa and my mommy... We were playing hide and seek, and I thought I'd be clever. I went to hide in a nearby building." I let her continue.

"They kept calling 'Ready or not! Here we come! Ready or not!' Then everything changed . In a moment there were screams, voices, all shouting that an Aragami had broken through! I should have rushed out and showed them where I was, but... But I was scared! I... I was so frightened." Alisa put her right arm to her head. Sensing a breakdown, I got off of the seat and held her head against my chest. She begins crying into my chest and screams,

"It's all my fault!" Over and over again. I simply tell her in a calm voice,

"Let it all out Alisa. You've bottled it up for a long time."

"I did it... I let them die!" Alisa shouts into my chest while still crying.

"No you didn't Alisa. If you had gone out there then you would have died to." I tell her but she keeps screaming that it is her fault. I move her head away from my chest and look at her in the eyes,

"Is that what your parents would tell you? 'It's all your fault?' No they wouldn't Alisa. They'd be happy that you had survived." A few minuted later and Alisa regains her composure but she rests her head on my chest. I let her.

"When I was told I might become a God Eater... That I might be one of the New Types... I was so happy and so furious... In that moment I thought that I could get revenge. I could kill that wretched monster." Her arms move around my back and hold me as if I would leave if she didn't hold on.

"I could avenge my parents... Even a little bit. It won't bring them back, but..." She writhes in pain and I hold her tight to my chest.

"I'm here Alisa." I repeat a few times to calm her down.

"I-I'm sorry... I don't know what's happening..." Alisa sobs.

"Alisa, it will be best if you get some rest. I will be here when you wake up."

"No, you won't." Alisa states.

"Alisa, I will be here when you wake up. Maybe not right here but I will be in the bed to the left of yours." I reply. She moves her head to look up at me,

"Why? Are you injured?" Alisa asks worriedly.

"A story for another day." I tell her before continuing, "If I am asleep when you awake just wake me up. Okay?"

"Okay." She says nervously before continuing, "But you will need to tell me why you are in here next time we talk."

"Of course." I tell her. "Now, lie down and get some sleep." She follows my instructions as she lies down and closes her eyes. I stay with her and hold her hand until she falls asleep. At which point I move myself back to my bed and do the same thing.

Day 5

When I awake, I turn my head to see Alisa sitting on a chair beside me.

"How long have you been there for?" I ask and sit up.

"A few hours." Alisa replies,

"Why didn't you wake me then?" Her cheeks turn slightly red and she mumbles. I didn't hear it though.

"What was that?" I ask curiously. Again, she mumbles her response.

"You need to speak louder, Alisa." I tell her. She turns towards me with cheek as red as her usual attire and shouts,

"Because I didn't want to."

"Why not?" I question before continuing, "You like to watch me sleep?" question again with humour in my voice. Alisa seems shocked but finally says,

"Are - Are you flirting with me?"

"No, just a little joke. Besides shouldn't you be in your bed?" I enquire.

"But how would I wake you up then?" Alisa replies back.

"But you didn't wake me up." I respond with the same humorous voice before continuing, "Come on, get into your bed and I'll sit beside you." I lead her back towards her bed with my hand holding hers. A few minutes later and I am sitting beside the bed that Alisa is occupying. I remove my hand from hers.

"You know, I've felt that hand before... The way you were holding it. You did the same thing the other day, didn't you? I'm sure of it." She sounded erratic and she continued,

"I could feel the warmth flowing into me... Memories I didn't have, just like before. Memories of... Happiness. But were they mine or yours?"

"I don't know what you seen so I cannot answer that." I answer. Seconds later the door opens.

"Ah, it's good to see you are doing well, Alisa." Doctor Sakaki states as he enters the infirmary.

"It's good to be well." Alisa replies with a small smile on her face.

"You understand that you will need to remain here for a few more days before you can be released, right?" Sakaki questions with his usual smile while Alisa shudders and answers with a "yes". Sakaki turns to me,

"Winter, I came here to let you know you have been discharged from the infirmary. You are to resume normal activities tomorrow."

"That's a relief." I say with a pleased sigh.

"Wait," Alisa begins turning to me, "I still don't know why you were in here."

"You don't?" Sakaki begins before continuing, "Well, some time ago, there was a breach in the outer wall. A herd of Aragami broke through and Winter here defeated them all without his God Arc. He did get heavily injured in the process though." Alisa turns towards me with a shocked expression while I continue looking at Sakaki.

"You have healed a lot quicker than we expected and you can resume your normal activities from tomorrow." Sakaki says before leaving the room.

"Win-Winter?" I look towards her and she appears to be fiddling with her fingers.

"Can -can you..." She begins before regaining her nerve and asking,

"When I get out of here, will you teach me how to fight?"

"You won't be able to fight without a God Arc. It will burn your skin like it did to Gina's." I say.

"That's fine, just teach me how to fight!"

"Okay Alisa, when you're out of here we'll start training." I state.


	16. Chapter 16

From the Start

Chapter 16

"Speech"

'Thoughts'

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Also, please leave a review.

I have created a Poll that can be accessed from my profile. The Poll is for the pairing with Winter. I want to know who you want to be paired with Winter. If you don't want to select one of the options from the Poll you can give me a private message telling me who you want Winter to be paired with or you could leave a review.

* * *

Winter's POV

Time skip of 3 days.

Waking up in my own room for the third day in a row felt heavenly. I didn't have to worry about people at being at my bedside and being shocked when they speak as I awake. Like when Sakuya was at my bedside and she spoke as soon as I woke up; only to leave seconds later. Actually, I haven't heard from Sakuya in a while, nor Kanon for that matter. Kanon said she would come back to the infirmary to visit me. But she never did. I wonder what happened.

'Oh crap! Was she hurt?' I get up from my bed and put on my Battle outfit. I head out of the door.

'I don't have any clues as to Kanon's whereabouts.' I think to myself as I walk down the corridor to reach the lift. Reaching the lift and stepping inside, I press the button for the Veteran Section.

I walk out of the lift upon arriving at the Veteran Section. I see Soma sitting near a vending machine. Having not heard from Soma recently either, I walked towards him hoping to start a conversation.

"Hey." I say.

"Don't bother talking to me." Soma replies instantly.

"Why not?"

"People affiliated with me usually die." He says matter of factly while shaking the can in his hand; most likely checking to see how much is left.

"Oh? And what if it was just their time to die?" I ask.

"Well that time will come a lot quicker if you keep talking to me." Soma states with a bit of anger in his voice.

"You don't believe the rumours, do you?" I ask him about the rumours of him being the God of Death.

"I don't need to believe it! It is a fact! A lot of people die around me!" Soma shouts angrily while throwing the can in the bin and heading to his room. I speak again before he enters his room to make sure he hears me,

"You're not a monster Soma." He opens his door but stops as he hears me speak again,

"Tell me Soma, have you ever killed monsters with your bare hands?" I say satirically. He walks into his room. I begin to contemplate as to why Soma is who he is.

'Is he just mentally insane from witnessing so many deaths' is just one of my thoughts. After a few minutes though, I decide to stop thinking about it and begin to walk to Sakuya's room.

I knock on Sakuya's door but she gives no response. Nothing to even indicate that she heard the knock. I can hear her say something to herself,

"Lindow... What are you trying to tell me? What's happening?" I decide then to enter her room. She must have heard the sound of the door as she spins towards me from her terminal.

"Oh, it's you. Sorry, you can be so quiet. What's up?" Sakuya asks.

"I did knock." I try to reason.

"Oh sorry about that, I mustn't have heard it." Sakuya states as she walks towards the couch in her room. She sits and tells me,

"Take a seat." I follow her instruction, "So what can I do you for?" Sakuya questions.

"Well, I know why Alisa had her breakdown. Wanna hear it?" I ask calmly. Sakuya looks surprised but she answers with a yes. 10 minutes later and she knows what I know.

"Ah, I think I understand now. Poor Alisa... Thanks for telling me. I really do appreciate it." Sakuya begins.

"It's no problem. I don't think she'd be able to tell you anyway. She will probably assume that you are going to be angry at her." I say matter of factly.

"I will have to talk to her at some point. Hopefully soon. Anyway, I wonder if that's a New Type power... For you to communicate through such a simple touch. It's incredible, but... Still a little odd." She says with slight humour in her voice before becoming serious,

"Please stay with her. She could use your support right now. Would you?" I nod in confirmation. I notice Sakuya become quiet and I decide to leave to let her think. Before I do leave, however, I ask Sakuya a question of my own,

"Sakuya," She raises her head, "Have you heard from Kanon recently?" Sakuya smiles slightly before answering, "Have you checked her room yet?"

"No, actually, where is it?" I ask curiously.

"Use the lift and go to the bottom floor. That's where most of the God Eaters live. The 1st Unit usually lives on the upper decks in case of emergency."

"Ah, okay. Thanks Sakuya." I say before leaving her room.

After leaving Sakuya's room, I head straight for the lift. I press a button so that the lift will come to this floor. A few seconds later, the lift arrives from one of the upper floors. The doors open and just before I step in, Alisa steps out.

"Oh, hi Alisa. Out of the infirmary for good now?"

"Yeah actually." She begins, I notice that the lift has left without me and thus decide to talk to Alisa for a bit longer.

"So why did you come from an upper floor?" I ask curiously with an eyebrow raised.

"I had a meeting with Miss Amamiya and the Director. They both agreed that I would be allowed back into combat following a few easier missions."

"That's great news!" I say happily.

"Er, yes." Alisa says as she raises two of her fingers to fiddle with her hair. Her cheeks also appear to become slightly red.

"By the way, will you accompany me on these missions?" Alisa asks shyly.

"Of course. I did say so a few days ago, didn't I?"

"Well, yes but that was a few days ago. You could have changed your mind since then." A few seconds of silence passes until I break it,

"So when is our first mission?" I ask.

"I'm not sure yet. I haven't went to Hibari yet. Actually I came off here to talk to Sakuya." She states nervously.

"Oh, okay then. I've just finished talking to Sakuya." I press the button for the lift to appear again.

"What was she like?" Alisa questioned.

"She was sine when she was talking to me but a little dazed when the conversation stopped. Anyway, I won't keep you any longer." I finish as I step into the lift as it arrive, "Just make Hibari call me over the intercom when our mission is ready." I state as I press the button for the lowest floor and the lift's doors close. Before they do though, I see a slight smile on Alisa's face.

Reaching the lowest floor, I see that there are numerous hallways and doors. Not knowing which way to go, I pick a hallway randomly,

"Well there are 6 hallways. Which one leads to Kanon's room? Well, I'm just going to go down the second hallway and hope for the best." I quietly say to myself before I go down the designated hallway. I see that there are 5 doors on each side of the corridor. After a few seconds as to which one to pick, I decide to choose the second door on the left. I knock on the door and wait for an answer. I hear shuffling from the other side of the door.

"Hold on..." Comes a familiar feminine voice before the door opens.

'Oh no.' I think to myself as this person clearly isn't Kanon.

"Oh, Winter! I didn't expect you to visit me." Comes the voice belonging to my eye-patched friend as she drags me by the arm into her room.

"Actually, I was..." I start but am interrupted.

"Well, you're here now anyway." Gina says in a happy voice before turning sadistic, "Now tell me about the fight the other day."

"Fight?" I repeat.

"When the Aragami came though the wall. You destroyed 12 Ogretails and blinded 3 Vajras!" She says with a sadistic grin on her face. Deciding to 'play' with her for a bit, I put up the most sadistic expression I ever have,

"Well after crafting some weapons I decided to kill an Ogretail that split off from the group."

"Easy pickings eh?"

"Then," I begin and look her directly in the eyes while maintaining my sadistic expression and positioning myself so that my back was facing her and I was looking over my shoulder, upside down. "I cut off its head and stuck it onto one of its legs." Gina's smile turned even more sadistic. I don't even know how that is possible.

"After I gave the same treatment to the other Ogretails, I crafted some spears out of the spikes that the they shot off and I stabbed the Vajras in their eyes."

"You really like spears don't you?" Gina says as puts a hand on her hip.

"They're easy to use." I state with my face and voice returning to normal. After a few minutes of silence Gina asks with a small smile on her face,

"Was it fun?"

"Honestly, I was more occupied with preventing the Aragami from feeding on the residents of the Outer Ghetto." It is at this point that we hear Hibari's voice over the intercom,

"Attention, Winter! Report to the front desk for mission assignment."

"I should get going, see ya Gina." I say as I walk to the door.

"Yeah. See ya Winter. It was fun to hear your tale. And to see your sadism."

"Well, if we ever go on a mission then you could possibly see it again. I reply as I open her door.

"Great! Looking forward to it!" Gina states. I leave her room and close the door. I then head to the lift.

Upon arriving at Hibari's desk, I see that there is another person there other than Hibari and Alisa.

"Oh, there you are Kanon. Where have you been lately?"

"Kanon tells me that she has been training." Alisa states with a smile on her face.

"Oh, training for what?" I ask Kanon who has a massive smile on her face. Kanon answers me this time,

"I've been training so that I can be transferred to the 1st Unit!" She exclaims, surprising me.

"I was surprised as well." Alisa states.

"I asked Alisa if I could come along with the two of you because I cannot be officially transferred without proper experience in the 1st Unit."

"Great! The more the merrier!" I respond, finally getting over my initial shock. I turn to Hibari, "What's today's mission then?"

"Actually, it is a string of missions. You will be completing three missions consecutively. The first mission will be against a Kongou. The second is against a Chi-You. And the third is against a Fallen Kongou." Hibari responds.

"Fallen Kongou?" Alisa repeats.

"A Kongou that has adapted to the colder climates. It should be easier to kill since it is roaming around in the Infernal Subway." Hibari responds.

"That should make it easier for us then." I say before turning to my two comrades, "stock up on supplies and I'll meet you at the helicopter." I finish before collecting my God Arc from Storage Warehouse 2 and waiting at the helicopter for them.

Time skip of 20 minutes (2 missions)

Having to defeat another Aragami after already completing two missions would definitely tire us out. It looked like Alisa couldn't manage to go another round.

"Alisa, I want you to stay back and provide me and Kanon with health bullets." I say to her.

"What? Why?" She asks.

"Look at yourself. You look about ready to fall asleep at any minute. These are your returning missions after all, I wouldn't expect you to slaughter all the Aragami." I reply and she reluctantly agrees. I turn to Kanon,

"Kanon, I see that your friendly fire problem looks to have been solved."  
"Yep! And it's all thanks to the Bullet Editor! While I was training, I found new ways to create bullets."

"Bullet Editor?" Alisa repeats curiously.

"Yeah,, you can create bullets with all sorts of effects." Kanon says happily.

"I'm sure Kanon would teach you how to use it." I say with a smile on my face as I observe Kanon's shocked reaction.

"What? I can't teach! Anyway, enough talking. I see the Aragami." Kanon points her finger behind me.

"Right. Remember the plan!" I shout as we rush towards the Fallen Kongou with Alisa trailing slightly behind.

"Kanon, I'm going to need you to do most of the work."

"Why?" She asks.

"My God Arc is currently set to Freeze attacks."

"Why don't you just craft something else then?" She asks another question.

"Not enough materials." Is my simple response, "Don't worry Kanon. I know you can do it I wouldn't trust you so much if I knew you couldn't." I say those encouraging words. Soon enough, the Fallen Kongou is dead and Alisa extracts the core.

"Good job everyone. Now, let's head back. We deserve a break." I say as I radio for the helicopter to pick us up. We talked about random things during the ride back but I brought up the fact that I would need to report everything to Doctor Sakaki as soon as I get back. So once we got back to the Den, I told them that I would meet them at the cafeteria in 2 hours and I went to Doctor Sakaki's laboratory.


	17. Chapter 17

From the Start

Chapter 17

"Speech"

'Thoughts'

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Also, please leave a review. The results from the Poll was:

Kanon: 2 votes (Inc. 1 review)

Alisa: 1 vote.

It will be a Protagonist x Kanon fic!

Entering Sakaki's laboratory, I notice that he was talking to somebody. This person was Tsubaki and they both turn towards me.

"Here to give your mission reports?" Tsubaki asks in her business tone.

"Yeah, I am." Is my simple reply.

"Great!" Doctor Sakaki chips in, "Miss Amamiya will be listening as well. Don't worry, it's just to hear your account of the performances of Kanon and Alisa before they join the 1st Unit."

"Okay. Well, the first mission against the Kongou went off without a hitch. I assigned Alisa and I to attack the Kongou from its sides whilst Kanon hits it head on. It took a few minutes to kill it but we suffered no injuries." I begin.

"That is good news. Please continue." Tsubaki says with a slight smile on her face.

"Well, the second mission against the Chi-You took longer. That was because it took a long time to find it but killing it did take a while as well. I assigned Alisa to be the melee specialist whilst Kanon and I provided support and healing bullets. Alisa performed really well against the Chi-You."

"It sounds like Alisa is back to her usual self then." Sakaki says.

"How did she handle the next mission?" Tsubaki enquires with the small smile being removed from her face.

"The next mission was against the Fallen Kongou. I put Kanon in a leading role because Alisa was too tired to handle it and may God Arc was hardly effective. Alisa and I provided support for Kanon and I occasionally switched into my God Arc into melee form to hit it. It was very quick to kill actually, Kanon's bullets were very effective." Looking at their expressions, it would seem that they would give positive feedback.

"That sounds great!" The Doctor exclaimed with a happy smile before returning to his work. Tsubaki, on the other hand, kept her business façade.

"I will talk to Alisa and Kanon. Please wait in the upper level of the Den." She said and walked out of the laboratory.

"You heard the woman." Sakaki states whilst continuing his work. With these words, I left to wait in the upper level of the Den.

Arriving there, I had seen Kota sitting on the couch and headed over to him. I sat down opposite him.

"Yo, Kota."

"Yo, waddup? How ya been?" Kota asks.

"I just did three missions in a row. I'm quite exhausted." I answer. "What have you been doing?"

"Well, Soma and I are temporarily in the Defence Unit. You know, since there was only two people that were capable of fighting Aragami. Speaking of which, you rock! Destroying a whole herd of Aragami without a God Arc!"

"Wow. I'm amazed at the amount of times the topic shifted in your answer" I say with a small chuckle.

"Yeah, well whatever. I also heard that you saved a couple of people before you got yourself injured as well." Kota states with his arms behind his head.

"How did you hear about that?" I ask curiously.

"You'll never believe me if I told you. Hey, are you doing anything later?"

"What time?" I ask.

"Around Tea time."

"No. Why?"

"Well, what d'ya say to going into the Outer Ghetto?" Kota enquires.

"Yeah sure. Just don't make me spend as much as Kanon did." I reply.

"Don't worry, you won't need to spend anything..." Kota trails off as we both notice Alisa and Kanon come towards us. We both stand.

Alisa has her head down whilst Kanon appears to be very happy.

"Um..." Alisa begins nervously, "As of today, I've been reinstated. I promise I won't ever let something like that happen again."

"Great! When are you gonna come back to the field?" Kota asks.

"Well, Tsubaki wants to send me on another training mission tomorrow." Alisa turns towards me, "Will you come with me?"

"Sure Alisa." I say with a smile on my face. The four of us overhear a conversation in the background and turn in the direction the sound is coming from.

"Did you hear about that New Type chick? She's finally getting back to her unit. Geez, way to ham it up."

"The same idiot who left Lindow to die? Who leaves a comrade anywhere near one of those crazy new Vajra?" I turn towards Alisa and see that she is playing with her hair with a sad look in her eyes. She speaks,

"I know you feel the same way. Mock me, I'm ready to take it." I am about to respond but Kota speaks before me,

"Alisa, we're not gonna make fun of you. Hey, don't even listen to that crap. They're just... Stupid. Oh we actually got some news about that Aragami that attacked Lindow!"

Alisa gives a sharp gasp but Kota continues,

"There's been a whole storm of them brewing up." Finally seeing Alisa's reaction, Kota turns towards me and puts a hand on my shoulder,

"I'm gonna bail before I screw anything else up. Catch ya later 'kay." Kota moves away but Kanon asks,

"Wait! Don't you want to hear my news?"

"You have news? Okay then." Kota turns back towards us, now standing to my right.

"I've been instated into the 1st Unit!" Kanon exclaims happily.

"That is good news." Kota responds, "But what's with the sudden transfer?" I see that Kanon turns red but I say,

"I want to know that as well." Kanon appears to be becoming nervous as she starts to fiddle with her fingers. Her state appears to make Alisa cheer up as well, even if it is just enough to make her smile.

"That's - Shut up!" Kanon shouts before storming away.

"Well, there's no way that we can eat together now." I say as I watch her storm off and into the lift.

"Well, I'm going to leave as well. See you around." Kota says as he moves away.

"I want you to teach me how to fight properly. I want to protect the people I care about." Alisa's words make me turn my attention to her.

"Okay then. Tell Hibari to call me through the intercom, tomorrow, when you're ready for a mission." I respond. Alisa has a small smile on her face as she replies,

"I will" and walks away.

Time skip to Tea time (Dinner time or whatever you want to call it)

"Yo. You ready to head out?" Kota asks as we stand in front of the doorway that leads outside.

"Yep." I give a one word response.

"Cool." We walk outside and continue walking with Kota taking the lead. I speak up,

"So what is it that you wanted to do here?"

"There's some people I want you to meet. Don't worry though, in another few minutes we should be there." Kota answers me with his arms behind his head.

"Who are these people you want me to meet?" I ask.

"Just be patient. You'll find out soon enough. They don't know you are coming though so I want you to hide somewhere when I start speaking to them. I want it to be a surprise." Kota said happily.

"yeah, sure. If you say so."

A few minutes later we arrive at a slum.

"Right, wait behind here." Kota says as he leads me to a wall. He then knocks on the door of the slum. From behind the house's wall, I can hear somebody running to the door. I hear the door opening as well.

"Nozomi! How have ya been?" I peer from behind the wall to see a little girl hugging Kota.

'Somebody he know?' I think to myself.

"Hey, is mam home?" Kota asks.

"Yeah, just come in." The girl answers.

"Actually, I want you both to meet someone. Please get her for me." Kota said.

"Okay big brother." Nozomi says and takes her arm from around him and heads back into the slum. Kota calls out for me to come out of the hiding place.

"You wanted me to meet your family?" I ask before speaking in a more humorous tone, "I didn't know we were dating." Kota looks in complete shock as his mother and Nozomi come to the door. Nozomi looks at me,

"Have you broken my brother?" She asks. Kota finally regains his composure,

"He was just telling me a joke. Anyway, mam, Nozomi, meet your saviour."

'Saviour' I repeat while giving Kota a confused look. I turn my head back to his two relatives. I see that the mother is in complete shock.

'Wait, she does look familiar.' I think to myself. Kota's mother finally speaks,

"Thank you, you had saved us from the Aragami. What can I do to repay you?" I would have said that I didn't need payment, but that is when my stomach grumbled.

"How about you both come in for something to eat." It was more of a demand than a question, I noticed.

"I'd hate to be a bother." I state nervously but the three of them weren't having it. Kota was already pushing me into the house and his sister said,

"come on, you can tell us the stories of how you kill Aragami without a God Arc."

"How do you know about that?" I ask.

"Kota tells us about you all the time." His mother states as she closes the door to thee slum. I give Kota a look that says 'remember my joke?' before I respond.

"Does he really? What has he said?"

"He told us of how you stab Aragami in the eyes so that they are blinded. That's when you shout for someone to devour it. As if you are the leader." His mother replied before going elsewhere.

In the end, I told a few stories about killing Aragami but made sure to point out where Kota helped. I only told stories of when I killed Aragami with my God Arc but that satiated their thirst for my skills. About an hour later, Kota and I decided to leave. We went back to the Den where we sat in Kota's room watching something called Bugarally. I'm not quite sure what it is about but he loves the program. By the time we finished watching that it was already quite dark. I went to my room to get some sleep, not knowing that tomorrow will be a very surprising day.


	18. Chapter 18 - Captain?

From the Start

Chapter 18

"Speech"

'Thoughts'

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Winter's POV

"1st Unit report to the front desk. I repeat, 1st Unit report to the front desk." Hibari's voice came over the intercom, waking me up in the process. I bot up out of my bed and rushed to put on a set of clothes. I decided to wear something efficient. That includes wearing a Thermal Top: Blue to hold any Aragami weapons I craft and Thermal Pants: Blue. After sorting out my attire, I left my room.

When I leave my room I see that Kota has also just left his room. We decide to head to the front desk together and kick-start a conversation on the way.

"What do you think this is about?" Kota asks with his arms behind his head.

"No idea to be honest. But it is for the whole of the 1st Unit. Maybe an emergency mission?" I suggest.

"Nah, they would have rushed us to the helicopter with our God Arcs waiting for us." Kota shot down my suggestion. The lift came and we stepped in.

"So what do you think it is then?" I ask him.

"Dud, I don't know. That's why I asked you." Kota answers.

"Whatever." I reply as the lift stops at the required floor, "Let's just get a move on." I say as we see the rest of the 1st Unit as well as Tsubaki waiting near the couches.

As soon as we arrive, Tsubaki starts,

"The 1st Unit will be expected to complete this mission as soon as this conversation is over. There have been sightings of a Vajra. It is said to have come from the Russia Branch. We want it eradicated immediately. It uses electrical attacks." Tsubaki states whilst turning her head to look at all of the 1st Unit.

"Prepare for this mission appropriately. That concludes the briefing. Any questions before you head out?" Kota raises his hand as he says,

"May I speak? I mean, if it's cool. Maybe, I dunno, we take Alisa on this mission? She's been working super hard to get back to her old self. And I think we're gonna need her on the field again, and yeah..." The rest of the 1st Unit, including myself, turn back to Tsubaki.

"Thank you, Kota... Tell me, Sakuya, what say you?" Tsubaki asks. We turn to Sakuya, she dips her head before simply saying,

"I consent." Tsubaki turns to Alisa,

"I will remind you, the target Aragami on this mission is of the same kind you faced before. Are you certain you're up to this?"

"Yes, I'll be fine! I mean, I want to go." Alisa replies.

"Very well. Miss Amiella, prepare for combat ops."

"Score!" Kota exclaims which causes all of our heads to turn to him "And don't worry, you got all us behind ya. We'll be awesome." I turn back to Alisa to see her give a slight smile.

"This mission will include Winter, Kota, Alisa and Kanon. Winter," Tsubaki turns towards me, "you will be in charge. Their lives rest in your hands." Tsubaki finishes before walking away. Soma does the same. Sakuya puts a hand on my shoulder and simply says,

"Good luck" before also walking away.

15 minutes later, we arrive at the City of Mercy. Our target is a Vajra who had wandered too close to the outer wall. We see at as we fly overhead. We land a few points away from it. It hears us land and charges towards us.

"Kota, Kanon make sure you stay distanced from the Vajra, you only have a Gun-Form God Arc after all. Alisa you can change forms at will but if you think it is too much I want you to drop back and cover me." I speak into the radio attached to my jacket whilst dodging a few of the Vajra's sweeping attacks. I step away from the Vajra and see that while Kanon and Kota are firing Blaze and Freeze bullets, Alisa is attacking its tail. The Vajra turns towards Alisa and I switch into Gun Form. I shoot a few homing bullets towards its tail and it breaks. It screams in pain and writhes on the floor.

"Now's our chance!" I shout and the four of us rush towards it. However, I notice that Alisa is still a little hesitant. Before we get there though, the Vajra moves and runs elsewhere.

"Cut off its escape! We can't let it get away!" Kota shouts but it is too late. Seeing a perfect chance for Alisa to overcome her problem, I say,

"Damn... It'll push us into a corner if we stay bunched up like this. Everyone split up and try to flank it." I head off in one of the two possible ways to go and see that Kanon is following me. I turn back to see Kota has went the other way and Alisa is still hesitant.

"Kanon, take Alisa and follow Kota." I tell her.

"But what about you?" She asks as we both come to a stop.

"I'll be fine. Alisa needs the help right now. Take her and go with Kota." I repeat. Reluctantly, Kanon leaves me and heads back to Alisa. I hear Kanon telling Alisa that they'll follow Kota as I continue going the way I am.

Kanon's POV

I don't know why Winter wanted me to take Alisa and follow Kota. I mean, we could have followed him so why did he want us to follow Kota. I meet Alisa who still hasn't moved from her spot.

"C'mon Alisa, we'll follow Kota." I say and take hold of her hand. She must have been dazed as she springs back to life as soon as I touch her.

"R-Right." She replies and we head off in the same direction as Kota. I let go of her hand once we round the corner.

'Where is Kota?' He did head this way.' I think to myself as Alisa and I carry on running. We continue heading along Point B until we reach the part where Point B and C emerge. We remain there for a few seconds to regain our breath. Then Alisa and I step into Point C and run along the perimeter as if we were going to run into Point I. We see the Vajra emerging from one of the ruined buildings.

"Papa... Mama..." I hear and turn to Alisa who is looking down at her God Arc. She emerges from the wall and gives our position away. I emerge from the wall as well and look around to see if I can see Winter or Kota. I turn back to the Vajra when I hear it roar and I see Alisa slowly move to put her God Arc down. I'm about to say something but Winter emerges from point H. He sees us, smiles, and heads over unaware of the Vajra lunging towards him. I'm in too much shock to do anything.

"No!" I scream at him and drop to my knees. I see that Alisa stands back up though, finally regaining her senses.

"Get away!" She shouts and fires a bullet at the hits it in the face and causes it to fall forwards. I noticed that as the Vajra was hit, Winter rolled forwards and thus avoided being crushed. I was feeling a whole range of emotions. Happy that he was safe, sad that I almost lost him, disappointed that I couldn't do anything, upset that I did not save him. Brought myself back to my feet as Alisa rushed over to him, I did as well. Alisa latches on to Winter, dropping her God Arc, and begins crying on his shoulder.

"Alisa, you did a great job." I say to her. Kota rushes over but doesn't say anything. Through her choked sobs, I can hear her saying,

"You almost died" Over and over again. Kota comes towards me and whispers,

"We should extract its core and call for the helicopter. Can you do that?"

"Yeah sure." I whisper back, jealous of how close Alisa seems to be with Winter. I follow Kota as he heads to the other side of the Aragami to devour its core. Minutes later and the helicopter came. Nobody spoke a word during the ride as Alisa had fallen carried her back into the Den on his back and went in the lift whilst I went to drop off my God Arc.

Winter's POV

It was quite awkward to have a girl latch onto you and cry on you, only to fall asleep on you after that. I was thankful that nobody said anything about it in the helicopter. Nobody said anything about it in the Den when we arrived either. I decided that I would put Alisa in her room so that nobody could see her in that condition.

After putting Alisa in her room, I headed straight to Sakaki's laboratory to give my mission report. Upon entering, I noticed that Tsubaki was also present.

"Here for your mission report?" She asks.

"Yep."

"Well, please go ahead." Tsubaki says.

"Okay. Well, when we reached the City of Mercy, I instructed Kota and Kanon to remain distanced. Alisa was to attack using her God Arc's Melee Form and Gun Form and I would do the same. We weakened it but it ran off. I told Kanon and Alisa to follow Kota whilst I went a different way. In the end, in my carelessness I didn't notice the Vajra lunging at me and Alisa shot it." I told them.

"It sounds like you're lucky to be alive." Sakaki states with his usual smile.

"Very well. If you'll excuse me." Tsubaki states as she leaves the laboratory. With only Sakaki and I left he states,

"It's not like you to disregard a threat." I smile in response.

"Ah, so you planned for Alisa to kill it then?" He asks.

"You see, I know of Alisa's feelings towards me. So I used that to make her protect the ones she loves. I put myself in danger so that Alisa can regain her confidence, I had a plan for what would happen if she didn't act to save me though." I explain to him.

"Although I am happy that you have re-awoken Alisa's spirit, I must tell you to not put yourself in danger again." Sakaki states as he returns to his work. I turn to leave but Sakaki stops me,

"Winter, I have some news about your medical." I turn back and walk to the front of his desk.

"Oh? Do tell." I reply as I look towards him. His usual smile appears to be more sad.

"I have concluded that, while you do not have any human cells, you don't have any Aragami ones either."

"What does that mean?" I ask.

"Right now, I don't know. It will require more research. However, I do not want you to use Aragami materials to kill other Aragami. You must only use your God Arc." He answers.

"Is there any particular reason why?" I ask another question.

"I have reason to believe that you will become a danger to not only yourself, but others around you if you keep fighting without a God Arc."

"Okay then. God Arc it is." I respond. It is at that point that we hear the intercom,

"1st Unit, please meet at the Den floor. I repeat, 1st Unit, please meet at the Den floor."

"You'd best be going now." Sakaki states. I proceed to leave the laboratory but am stopped by a thought. I relay it to Sakaki,

"Doctor, this Branch is located in the former region of Japan right? How come everybody speaks English?"

"Ah, I created a device that translates all languages into the user's language. Does that mean you have not received one yet?"

"No, I have not." I answer

"I'll get to work on it right away." He says and I leave the laboratory.

I arrive at the Den floor and see the 1st Unit, including Alisa. She gives me a little smile as I walk up to them. Kota speaks up,

"Who the heck calls a meeting out of the blue like this? I was marathoning some Bugarally."

"I don't know, Kota. Maybe if you asked a helpful question every once in a while you'd get an answer... So, Sakuya, any idea what's going on?" Alisa asks with her hand on her hip and playing with her hair.

"I haven't heard a word. It's a little strange that they'd need all of us though." Sakuya replies. Tsubaki finally arrives and takes centre stage.

"Thank you all for coming on such short administration and top brass have made an appointment to your squad. Upon the completion of today's mission, Winter was appointed as Captain of the Far East Branch's 1st Unit with full honors. As the new leader of this unit, I am proud to say that I'm depending on your talent." Tsubaki finishes.


	19. Chapter 19

From the Start

Chapter 19

"Speech"

'Thoughts'

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Winter's POV

Tsubaki left after those words.

"Who! What?! That's awesome! It's better than awesome... It's... Awesome.!" Kota exclaimed, "I can't believe it! There's a word for this isn't there? Like a coup, right?"

"I'm pretty sure that's not what you mean Kota." Alisa answers before turning to me, "I was proud to call you comrade. Now I'm proud to serve under you. Isn't this wonderful?" She aims her question at Sakuya who looks depressed.

"Huh? Oh, yes... Truly, well deserved. I'm happy." Sakuya states although her face doesn't show it. Nevertheless, she continues,

"Wow... Captain, huh? Weren't you my little student not too long ago? I promise I'll always have your back. And I know you'll watch ours. Congratulations." Sakuya finishes. Soma doesn't say anything though.

"I know you'll do us proud, Captain." Kanon says happily.

"Winter, report to the Director immediately. I repeat,Winter, report to the Director immediately." Hibari's voice comes over the intercom.

"Already in trouble?" Kanon teases. I give her a smile but proceed to the lift.

Upon reaching the Director's office, I knock on the door. He calls for me to enter and so I do. I walk towards his desk.

"So your first mission went off without a hitch. Excellent. I expected no less." I changes his position so that he is leaning on his arms.

"Allow me to commend you on your performance so far. Congratulations on your promotion. Truly you have done all of us a great service, and I expect it will continue. Now, let us speak..." He begins,

"As a Captain you have new duties and new authority. You will be granted a number of bonuses. I suppose you could call them the prize due your position. The first is private quarters. Lindow's, to be exact." I feel my eyes slightly bulge but let him continue,

"When you next log into the terminal, you will find your status has been updated to correlate with your new position. Data that was previously heavily censored or off-limits will now be open to your perusal. As we have opted to share this information with you, I hope you will understand its importance. Clearance is not granted to just anyone."

'New information? Great!' I think to myself. Johannes continues,

"This is our - rather Fenrir's - mark of trust. Do not take it lightly. I know you shall not betray our faith. You've better judgement than that. In addition to this, of course, you will find new duties as well..."

'New duties?' I think to myself.

"Aside from serving as a combat leader, you will also overtake all of Lindow's unique and special assignments." He seems to think to himself after he says that.

"But we'll leave those for another day. You are surely exhausted from your operation. We are proud to call you a Captain. A leader. Dismissed." He states and I leave his office.

After leaving his office, I walk down the corridor to reach the lift. While waiting for it, Tsubaki steps alongside me,

"So... How you holding up?" I turn towards her.

"No don't tell me. Your eyes give it away." She raises her hand to my cheek and continues, "They've got that same panicked look Lindow had. I still remember his face the day they promoted him." She takes her hand off my face and I speak up,

"I've not had to look at for anybody for so long before I joined here." I tell her.

"First thing you do is take a big, deep breath. Then relax, no one expects you to do this alone. The key to succeeding is to rely on your allies. Rely on yourself. Trust. I know that you will make a fine Captain. Enough uplifting speeches, back to work! Hehe, I'm counting on you."

"Yes ma'am." I respond as the lift arrives and I step in. I decide to head to my new room to get some sleep.

The next day, I awoke to Hibari's voice coming over the intercom. She informed me that I had to meet at the front desk to arrange a mission for the day. Upon arriving at the front desk, I arranged a mission to kill two Fallen Kongous at the Tranquil Temple. My team members and I, which included Soma, Kota and Kanon,were to meet up at 10 at the Tranquil Temple. I had gotten there at 9:45 and Kota arrived a little later. We are now waiting for Soma and Kanon to arrive. 20 minutes later and they are still not here yet. Kota starts a conversation,

"Man, is it just me or are the rations getting leaner and lamer every day? Seriously, I know food is tight, but dayum! Y'know? Like what about that rationed pudding? I mean, if you can even call that pudding. It was mostly just multicoloured goop..." Kota shudders. It is at that point that Soma arrives,

"Hey, what up, Soma? Dude, I was totally thinking of having a little shindig to celebrate our new leader. You down?" Soma walks past and says,

"Gonna say no."

"Come on, Soms, don't be the pre-party pooper!" Kota replies and Soma comes to a stop at the edge of the platform.

"Go ahead and have your 'shindig'. Just don't count on my RSVP." Soma says as he jumps off the platform.

"Jerk!" Kota begins as he walks to the edge of the platform, "Hey don't act all badass just... Cause you're all badass and stuff! And don't be so arrogant even when you show up like twenty minutes late, but whatever! Jackass..." Kota finishes. It is at this point that Kanon arrives,

"You took your time." I tell her.

"Sorry, Captain, I'll be here on time next time." She says with a smile on her face.

"Let's get going guys. Those Aragami aren't going to kill themselves." I say as I walk to the edge of the platform and jump off.

5 minutes later and the mission is finished, however none of us had seen Soma. We decide to look around. We end up walking into the temple where Soma draws his weapon to Kota who puts a shield up,

"Hey! Hey! Whoa! Whoa! Hey!" Kota exclaims.

"Huh... Well, I didn't expect to turn around and see you." I imagine that this is Soma's way of apologising as he retracts his God Arc.

"You are totally welcome. It's not like we came here to look for you. Damn! You never came back. We got worried." Kota replies and Kanon voices her agreement,

"Yeah, we didn't see you when we were fighting the Kongous."

"Now you found me, why don't you turn right around and go home? I've things to handle on my own." Soma says.

"What? We're comrades, man. We're in the same unit. Geez, you can be stuck-up."

"Ha! So we're comrades now, huh? How so?" Soma turns his head so that he is not looking at us, "Who would want a comrade that can't even take a little joke, a comrade you can't trust to have your back? Hmph. Better to not have them at all." Soma says depressingly.

"Kanon, Kota head on back." I tell them. Soma turns to look at me seemingly surprised by my instruction.

"What? Why?" They say and I just repeat my instruction.

"What ever you say." Kanon says as she walks off and Kota follows her. Onc they're out of sight, Soma speaks up,

"You should go too. What do you need with a monster like me?"

"I've told you before, Soma, you're not a monster. Just because people die and you happen to be around, it does not mean it is your fault." I tell him calmly.

"Shut up!" He shouts but I continue.

"Remember our first mission? With Eric? You didn't let him die. I did. I also brought back his headless body, hoping that his family would want it. I never thought of what I would with it if they didn't want it. Now stop wallowing in self pity and get your arse moving!" I angrily shout my last sentence, effectively stunning Soma into moving.

Meeting the other two members of the group, Kanon and Kota, back at the helicopter, we all got in. Soma was staring out of the window, silently.

'Kanon and Kota probably thought I broke him.' I think to myself as nobody was talking.

"You all did well in this mission." I told them. I got no response from Soma but Kota and Kanon were glad,

"Of course I did well. I am Kanon Daiba, the most accurate sniper in the 1st Unit." Kanon says cockily and I decide to burst her bubble,

"And if you didn't meet me, you'd still be the least accurate sniper in the Den who always hits her teammates." I told her with a smile on my face,, effectively shutting her up. Seeing the conversation we just had, Kota decided to not be cocky and just settle with a simple,

"Of course." The rest of the ride was a quiet one. Kanon, Kota and I did try to spark a conversation but they wouldn't last very long.

When we arrived back at the Den, I was told that the Director wanted to see me. Thus, I went to his office, knocked, entered and walked towards him.

"You have achieved incredible things during your tenure think you would acquire such leadership talents so fast... Perhaps it is a knack unique to the New Types. It has proven most useful. You may already be aware," He starts leaning back in his chair,

"but construction on the Aegis project is nearing completion. We are at last ready to enter the final stages. It is a bold shield, an Ark to protect humankind from the Aragami threat... Eternally. The impending success is certain cause for celebration. However, we must not let down our guard. We're so very close... I will continue to require your services. I hop I can rely on you, Captain." We hear a buzz coming from his computer. He presses a button and turns towards me,

"Pardon me, I... I was expecting a visitor. We'll continue this another day. I continue to expect only the best from you, Captain. You will help lead us into a wondrous bright future. Dismissed." I leave at these words. In the corridor, I see Sakaki walking up to me. We cross in the hallway,

"I wonder..." He begins and turns to me, "Do you count yourself a curious person?" He asks before continuing to walk to the Director's office. I turn back and start walking again, only to kick something across the corridor. I walk by it and pick it up.

"There's no way this is a coincidence." I say silently, marvelling at the disk. I walk back to my quarters so that I can view it.

Sakaki's POV

Winter walks by me and I ask if he is a curious person. I deliberately drop the disk in hopes that he would notice it before continuing on. I know that he reports to me but it would be best to indirectly give him the disk and let him satiate his curiosity with it. I walk into Johannes' office.

"Well, what a surprise. A visit from the estimable Paylor Sakaki." Johannes starts.

"Johannes. Did I interrupt your search for another lap dog? Or are they a hunting hound?" I speak back.

"I simply have no idea of what you speak. And you should beholden to other interests. I've yet to receive a status report. How goes our project?" Johannes questions.

"The 'Singularity'? Not as well as you hoped, likely. I have so little to go on." I reply.

"Of course. You know how integral it is to my plan. Do not give up the good fight yet, Paylor. There's much to be done."

"What of your other hunters? You do have others on its trail, I assume." I ask.

"With only Soma out in the field, success has become... Elusive." He answers.

"Ah, hence your search for another minion in our newly-promoted Captain." I respond with a smile that does not reveal my displeasure of him using my minion.

"You always did know how to strike at my sore spots, Paylor. I suggest you continue to keep watch, and hold your focus there." he replies bitterly.

"I keep watch over so much, the entire universe holds my attention. Which is why I will never let something... Unique out of my sight once it's caught my eye." I turn towards the door.

"Your warning has been heard, Stargazer. Now, kindly turn your keen observation back to our business." At his words I leave to head back to my laboratory, happy that he never brought up the project of Winter's blood. Once reaching the laboratory, I say to myself,

"Hmm... To where will you turn, young Captain, when asked to whom you are loyal?"


	20. Chapter 20 - A Monster?

From the Start

Chapter 20

"Speech"

'Thoughts'

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Winter's POV

Reaching my room, I decided to place the disk in the terminal. Viewing the video, I see two people, a male and a female, around an Ogretail that is positioned on a table. The male doctor falls to the ground after what looks like a black as cloud is released from the Aragami into his face.

"Get some anaesthesia, now!" The woman says.

"Go get help, quickly!" The male shouts. The camera drops to the floor as another male runs to help the man before static envelops the camera. Once it clears, I see three occupants around a table including Johannes, Sakaki and the woman from earlier.

"We knew this would happen. Embedding the Bias Factor in a mature host is nigh impossible." The woman starts.

"Even if it took, there's no guarantee it would induce the proper apoptosis." Sakaki states.

"The only solid results we've seen are with pre-natal injection. Even then, it's only had limited success with the rats." Sakaki continued before taking a drink.

"We've tested enough rats. I think it's past time we move into human trials. Well past." Johannes states.

"Let me be clear here. We barely understand the Bias Field in principle. Will you just charge in blind?" Sakaki questions before continuing,

"The P73 Bias Factor has incredible potential, but we've only scratched the surface. I don't think we're ready. Not even close."

"The real question is how we can afford to wait any longer. People are dying every day by the thousands to the Aragami menace!" Johannes exclaims.

"Where will we get a volunteer? Or will you just inject yourself, like Pettenkofer?" Sakaki asks.

"It's certainly within reason. If it's stable, I'll inject myself."

"You wouldn't adapt." The woman speaks up, "But Johannes what about my - our - son? He could take to it! He could!"

"Aisha are you insane? No. The project is crucial, yes, but... But that's our child." Johannes reveals the name of the woman to be Aisha.

"Is it better to ask someone else to give up their child? Isn't it better than asking more to die?" Aisha asks.

"Aisha... Please..." Johannes pleads.

"Even if it could work, even if we were sure, I would never agree to this!" Sakaki voices his distaste with the situation.

"And I will not sit idly by! I will not allow another generation to grow up afraid of monsters!" Aisha exclaims with determination in her voice. Silence fills the air until Johannes speaks up,

"All right, darling. All right." He sighs. However, Sakaki is still displeased,

"Truly both of you agree to this? I suppose there's no room for discussion. You're far too stubborn. But I... I cannot remain on this project then. I cannot reconcile this."

"Paylor... You don't..." Aisha starts before she is interrupted.

"Leave it be. I'm a Stargazer. I always will be. And I will continue to watch the skies. It is not my place to interfere, though I wish it were. Our paths will cross again, of that I am certain. Until then, I must continue on my own, with my methods. Farewell, my friend. Good luck." Sakaki finishes. More static comes across the screen before changing again to see Aisha in a hospital bed.

"How are you?" Johannes asks.

"A little nervous, but mostly fine. I can't wait for you to arrive..." Aisha says as she places a hand on her stomach. "Have you heard from him?"

"He sent you this charm, meant to keep you safe during delivery. He's still beyond our reach." Johannes replies. Aisha sighs,

"Paylor... So he's still angry, even now. I hope on day he knows that we did this for him..."

"Don't worry yourself, Aisha. It's not good for either of you."

"Hold onto that charm for me, all right? Tomorrow. Keep it safe for both of us." Aisha pleads before more static comes across the screen.

The screen cuts to Johannes sitting at a desk in front of a Fenrir flag.

"Hello, Paylor. It has been a long time, hasn't it? The Managarm project has been suspended. I suppose it was the only decision that could be made after... After what happened. But we survived. Soma was born in the moments before it happened, already carrying the Bias Factor.I was carrying the charm you sent us. Such a small thing to save a life, Paylor. Who knew what your little technology could help develop? Did you ever think it could be the core of the Wall? Could save countless lives? You're so much more the scientist than I could ever be. A flicker before your blaze. I think perhaps you predicted this. Perhaps you did know what would happen... Heh... Worry not, Paylor. I'm not here to blame you. No, never to blame you. In a few weeks I'll be promoted. Director of Fenrir's Far East Branch. And it is an opportunity. An opportunity for all of us. I want you to join me. You will have ample funding for your research. More than you could ever dream. Moreover, you would lead all God Eater technology projects. Besides... You still haven't met my son. I miss my friend, Paylor. I will call on you again in a few weeks time, and hope to see you soon." The video becomes static and a message is displayed. It reads, "If found, please return this disc to the research lab of Paylor Sakaki. Do NOT view the disc's contents. I mean it!"

Then the video shows another clip with Johannes and Sakaki being the only two present in the laboratory.

"I'm rather busy today. Tell me, what is this all about?" Johannes starts.

"Just making assurances double sure. There's no chance you'll reconsider this plan, Johannes?"

"The project is already well into the last stages. The end is coming up fast. We can't stop now." Johannes replies.

"I thought as much. I have news that I think you will be glad to from a civilian informant just passed through my office. A core has been detected in the region formerly Britain. The Oracle Cells are said to have an unprecedented power."

"At last, the singularity!" Johannes exclaims.

"I cannot be sure. It will require confirmation. My access, unfortunately, is incredibly limited there. It falls directly under Headquarters' purview."

"Thank you, Paylor. I must investigate for myself. It seems I am off to Europe. I trust you can handle things here while I am away." Johannes states.

"Happy to. Of course, I'll just continue to pursue my research. Even such good news cannot stop curiosity." Sakaki replies and Johannes leaves the room. Sakaki continues, however,

"After all, the best we can do is eliminate any obstacles to research..." The video stops. And I decide to go to sleep.

Time skip to next mission

Soma's Dream

Curled up into a ball, as if I'm in my mother's wombs. I hear their voices.

"How are you?" Johannes asks.

"A little nervous, but mostly fine. I can't wait for you to arrive..." Aisha says, "Have you heard from him?"

"He sent you this charm, meant to keep you safe during delivery. He's still beyond our reach." Johannes replies. Aisha sighs,

"Paylor... So he's still angry, even now. I hope on day he knows that we did this for him..."

"Don't worry yourself, Aisha. It's not good for either of you."

"Hold onto that charm for me, all right? Tomorrow. Keep it safe for both of us." Aisha pleads before continuing,

"You will... Bring joy to this world. M-My darling boy. My precious little boy. You will shield them from the Aragami. You will save them..."

"A purpose, Soma. You have a purpose. You shall purge this world of those beasts... You will see them all burn and fall!" Johannes says before a new voice is heard.

"His basal cell metabolism is extraordinary. It's like nothing I've ever seen before!" It was a doctor's voice based on what he said.

"That's impossible! I put eight stitches in his wound yesterday. It can't be healed already. He... He can't be human!" Came a voice very similar to Kanon's.

"Careful! You know he can hear halfway across the base. You don't want the Director catching wind of this." Came another female voice.

"Soma the Executioner, heh... I don't think anyone from is squad has survived." Came a male's voice.

"Yeah. No chance they're getting me in that unit." Came a different female's voice.

"In only a few days both Lindow and Eric died in the field? That's terrifying, man..." Was the voice of another male before a young child's voice spoke,

"Hey, the doctor said your mommy died. He said if you hadn't been born, she could have made it."

Winter's POV

Soma was in a corner, sleeping. I decided to let him sleep while we waited for the other two members of the team, Kota and Alisa. Sure enough, 10 minutes later, they arrived and went straight to Soma. It was at this point that Soma suddenly woke up with a "No".

"Ah! You nearly gave us a heart attack Soma." She says with a slightly angered expression.

"You were shaking and mumbling. You all right?" Kota asks.

"Fine... I'm fine..." Soma responds.

"That's weird. Where's your trademark Soma disdain?" Kota asks.

"What? Just shut the hell up, Fujiki."

"And there it is. Well, he's fine. Let's move out." Kota responds. Soma gets up and heads towards the ledge.

"Wait, Soma. I want to talk with you. Alisa, Kota go on ahead." I instruct them. They seem confused but they follow the instruction.

"What were you dreaming about, Soma?" I ask when the other two leave.

"What? Why's that important?"

"You're still shaking, Soma. You were scared. I heard what you were mumbling. You're lucky that you woke up when you did. Alisa and Kota had only just arrived." I tell him.

"It's got nothing to..." He begins but I interrupt,

"Dreaming about how your birth killed your mother?" He spins towards me as I ask that and grabs me by the shirt.

"How do you know about that?" He angrily asks.

"I've seen the video footage, Soma. The point is that your birth did not kill your mother." I respond calmly but he pushes me against a wall.

"And how do you know that?" He asks in the same tone.

"Her body rejected the Bias Factor injection. She would have died anyway." He puts me on the ground but still has a hold of my shirt.

"I'm a monster that killed my mother! I've killed all my teammates!" Soma exclaims.

"You did not kill your teammates! You did not kill your mother!" I shout back as I grab his shirt and push him into the wall he was holding me against. He lets go of my shirt in surprise and I raise him into the air.

"Tell me, Soma," I begin and see his expression is still anger, probably because he was overpowered so easily, "Have you had to live outside of the walls of the Den?" His expression is still anger but less than before. "Have you watched the people you love die in a collapsing building? I have no family left. Nobody looked out for me. I was alone. You had people, it is unfortunate that they dies but that's what will happen to all of us." I say with the anger in my voice rising. I keep him against the wall but lower him so that we can have eye-contact,

"Have you had to kill others to survive? I shout and I see the fear in his eyes. Deciding that I've revealed too much of my past to him I let go of him and he crumbles to the floor.

"Go back to the Den, Soma. The two of us will go on a mission tomorrow. I'll show you a monster..." I finish as I give him a sadistic look and jump off the platform.


	21. Chapter 21 - A girl?

From the Start

Chapter 21

"Speech"

'Thoughts'

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Alisa's POV

I'm not quite sure why Winter told Kota and I to go ahead. It was obvious he wanted a word with Soma, but what about? Winter seemed really happy when he got to us. Kota and I were each holding back a few Aragami. When Winter arrived though, something happened and all of the Aragami had died. I was in shock at what happened. Kota and I were shooting the Aragami and yet, here comes Winter and kills all of them in one swipe. That includes two Polar Kongous, 4 Ogretails and 4 Zygotes. I turn towards Kota to see he is just as shocked as me. Wnter is standing with his back towards us and we run towards him.

"What was all of that about?" I ask.

"Oh? It looked like you needed help." He responds.

"What kind of answer is that? How did you kill them all in one hit?" I almost shout.

"I know where all the weak points are. Besides you two weakened them." He replies.

"Dude, that was awesome!" Kota exclaims as he makes rapid hand movements.

"It reminded me of the rime when you killed the Kongou without a God Arc!" He continued.

"It reminded me about the time you killed the Vajra without a God Arc." I tell him before realising that Soma isn't with him.

"Hey, where's Soma?" I ask.

"I gave him the day off. He appeared to be upset at the dream earlier." Was his answer.

"Oh, well I hope he's okay." I say.

"Knowing Soma, he'll be fine." Kota says.

"Well, guys, time to head back." Winter states as we begin to walk away.

Winter's POV

'I needed to get that out of my system. I almost feel sorry for the Aragami. I didn't expect them to die in one hit though. Well anyway, I'll arrange a mission for Soma and I tomorrow. I want to show him a monster.' I think to myself as w head back to the Dn. Once we arrive, I head straight for Sakaki's office.

Upon arriving at Sakaki's office, I give him the disc that he had 'dropped' yesterday.

"I can be absent-minded indeed. Thank you for picking this up. Needless to ask, you didn't... Watch it, did you? No, of course not. Merely old memories. A youth long past. Ah that does remind me though. I needed to call you in anyway. I'd like you to obtain the core of a certain Aragami." He starts.

'Perfect, now if I can just arrange it to be me and Soma...' My thoughts are cut off at his next words.

"Of course, I don't expect you to do this alone. I will arrange for Soma to help you as well. Good kid, Soma. I would be ever grateful if you could find a way to solve this together." He looks right at me as he says this with his ever-present smile. I turn away.

'He must have planned for this...' I think to myself because of the perfect situation.

"The Director left it to me to assign this task in his absence." He says and I turn back towards him, only to find out he is less than 30cm away from my face.

"No one need know about this. Yes? Not the Director... No one. Now then, tell me. Have you ever heard of the Managarm Project?" I nod my head and he backs off.

"There was nothing admirable about that research. No, nothing at all. It lost me a dear friend. And poor Soma was left behind. To shoulder the burden of all that darkness on his own. And I... Well, I am ashamed to admit that I am responsible in part for his rage." H says before getting closer again.

'Damn! This guy does not know anything bout personal space!' I think to myself.

"I was hoping- in fact, I would be in your debt- if you could reach out to him. Befriend Soma." I give a nod before leaving to go to Soma's room, thinking that he would be there.

I reach Soma's room and knock, preparing my sadistic face. It opens and reveals Soma. He almost slams the door in my face but I put my foot there to block it.

"Change of plans. We'll have our mission now, Sakaki's orders. Get ready." I say before removing my foot and leaving. I notice that the door doesn't actually close once I leave.

"Hey wait." Soma emerges from behind the door, locks it and walks up to me.

"What are we up against?" He asks.

"A group of Chi-Yous" I answer as we wait for the lift. There is silence as we wait in the lift, pick up our God Arcs and head to the helicopters. We're almost there when Soma asks,

"So, you're going to show me a monster?"

"Oh yeah." I say sadistically, "I don't want you to do anything in this mission. Just stand to the side."

"Fine, sounds like you have a death wish." Soma says with his eyes closed and arms crossed.

We finally land after 10 more minutes in the helicopter.

"Remember the plan?" I ask Soma.

"Yeah." Soma responds. We walk to find the Aragami and minutes later. We see five of them grouped together.

"Wait here." I tell him and he does. I run towards the closest Chi-You and it turns towards me. It fires a large fireball in my direction and alerts the other Chi-Yous. I run towards this fireball and cut it in half, continuing my run to the Chi-You. As I reach it, I cut off both of its wings and legs so that it is just a head and body. 2 of the other Chi-You try to run away but I give them the same treatment. The other two Aragami are already charging up for gliding attacks. They both come towards me from opposite sides. I dodge both attacks and split them both in half. I turn my attention to the three legless and wingless Aragami before I split them into individual pieces, revealing their cores which I let my God Arc feast upon. I walk back up to Soma,

"So what do you think?"

"I admit that it was monstrous..." I interrupt him.

"And guess how many people I have did similar things to?"

"You've did that to people?" Soma says shocked.

"Suddenly you're not a monster anymore, are you?" I ask, not expecting a response, and call for a helicopter. 10 minutes later, the helicopter arrives and picks us up. The ride back was actually quite pleasant. Occasionally, Soma would start talking to me. However, it was all questions about my past which I refused to tell him more than I already have. We returned to the Den where I gave the core of one of the Chi-Yous I had killed. I then left, exhausted that I had to complete two missions in one day. I headed to my room and got some sleep.

The next day, I am awoken by Hibari's announcement telling me that Sakaki had summoned me. I went to his laboratory and entered. He was sitting behind his desk before I arrived but moved to be directly in front of me. He spoke and leaned his head forward which causes me to lean backwards,

"Greetings! So sorry to keep summoning you in! Haha! I have a certain special favour to ask of you, today. As before, I will b sending you on an Aragami Extermination task. I've taken the liberty of arranging your team myself. Alisa, Sakuya, and for a third... Kota! That will be plenty. Don't fret over mustering up more God Eaters. I've contrived to make this seem a routine, every-day, totally normal mission. Well that's all. Thank you. Good luck. Fight well. Dismissed." He says and I leave to prepare.

One hour later, and the Aragami, another Chi-You, has been killed.I go about extracting the core when I am stopped,

"Please, all of you, hold your Arcs." We turn to see Sakaki and Soma walking up to us.

"Huh?" Sakuya murmurs.

"Doc, why're you here?" Kota questions.

"Worry not, all will be explained in time." Sakaki states, "Leave that Aragami there for a moment. Come with me. I've something to show you." Sakaki starts heading back the way he came and we follow. We don't go too far away though as we wait at the stairs, still able to see the Aragami. Sakaki checks his pocket watch.

"There! Look, it's coming! I knew it would!" Sakaki whispers with excitement to make sure he isn't heard by the girl walking towards the Aragami. She appears to be eating it. We rush out to corner it.

"Um... I... I am... H-Hungry." The girl starts which elicits a 'Woah!' fromm Kota as he points his God Arc at her. The girl stares at Soma for a moment and then me. She still has her eyes fixated on me when Sakaki comes forward,

"Welcome, welcome! Good to see you! It certainly took a while to get you to show yourself, hm?" He turns to Soma, "Thank you, SOma, for all your help in bringing her here. Oh, there's just so much I must know! So many opportunities!"

"I'd appreciate an explanation more than you thanks, Doctor." Soma states.

"The little lady was quite determined. Wouldn't appear when we needed her to, so I took a chance and eliminated all of her natural prey in the region. Hahaha! Can't ignore hunger forever, whether it's your favourite or not."

"You are devious, Doctor, and I don't know whether that's a compliment... Like the scheme you used to track Winter." Soma states to Alisa's confusion. She turns towards me but I tell her that I will tell her another time.

"Uh, hey so... I'm just gonna ask the question on everyone's mind... Who the hell is this kid? " Kota asks.

"Ah, of course, of course. We probably shouldn't be speaking out in the cold like this. All will be explained at the lab. So sorry to keep you all in the dark. Uh, you will join us, yes?" Sakaki questions as he walks towards the girl, her eyes still fixated on me. Sakaki notices this,

"Winter, move backwards 10 steps please." Sakaki instructs.

"Why?" I simply ask.

"Just a little experiment." He replies and I do as he says. The girl takes 10 steps towards me.

"Another 10 steps." Sakaki asks and I follow his instruction to see that the girl is still following me.

"Perfect! Now we know how to get her to the lab!" Sakaki exclaims.

"Why is she following Winter like that?" Alisa asks.

"I have a theory but I will need more evidence before I can check it. Anyway, let's get back to the lab." Sakaki states and we all venture towards Sakaki's lab, with the girl following m all the way.

"Wh-what?" We all shouted as Sakaki spoke.

"Did you just say what I think you said?" Sakuya questions.

"I can say it again, but I assure you it will be no different. This is an Aragami." At Sakaki's words I advance towards the Aragami, prepared to kill it. However, Sakaki rushes at me and hits me with electricity. My vision goes black.


	22. Chapter 22 - Unexpected News

From the Start

Chapter 22

"Speech"

'Thoughts'

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Soma's POV

I couldn't believe it when the professor demanded for my company to go to the Tranquil Temple. I mean, that's where the rest of my unit was. Was something going on? Nevertheless, after hounding me to go with him, I did to get him to shut up. Imagine my surprise when we see a girl eating the Chi-You. I wanted answers but it seems that the only way that the doctor would talk is to bring the girl back with us. But what was even more surprising was that the doctor revealed that the girl was an Aragami. Everybody, including myself, was in shock. I seen Winter approach it with murderous intent in his eyes. I don't blame him for wanting to kill the Aragami. If he didn't kill it, I would. But I was surprised again when Sakaki used a taser on him. Winter dropped to the ground.

"What the hell was that for?" I shouted angrily.

"I am sorry, but Winter was ready to kill her. I was forced to stop him. I need this girl for research purposes." Sakaki said calmly with no smile on his face. I looked to Sakuya, Alisa, Kanon and Kota to see that they were too shocked to move. Kanon looked like she wanted to cry and moved towards Winter.

"We can move him into this room, if you like." Sakaki says, motioning to the room located to the right of his desk. I see Kanon pick him up as if he was as light as feathers and carry him into the room Meanwhile, the Aragami is still watching. It turns its head to me,

"Man." the Aragami says before observing Winter once again. Kanon places Winter into the bed and the Aragami goes to follow them into the room. Before it can though, Kanon re-emerges from the room and Sakaki shuts the door. The Aragami just sits down in front of the door while Sakaki moves back into the position he was in earlier when he was talking to us. Kanon goes back to her position.

"What was that about, Doc?" Kota says and I turn towards Sakaki expecting an answer.

"I wasn't quite sure what Winter intended to do. However, I believe he intended to kill the girl..." Sakaki starts before I interrupt,

"It's not a girl. It's an Aragami. And why have we let an Aragami in here?"

"This Aragami is essential to my research. This is proof that Humans and Aragami can co-exist."

"Co-exist? There's no way that we can co-exist with Aragami. They're monsters that exist only to kill." Alisa says, returning from her shocked composure.

"That's where you are wrong, Alisa. In fact, this girl is evidence of that. If I had not told you that the girl was an Aragami. None of you would feel this way." Sakaki replied.

"But we wouldn't expect an Aragami to take a Human Form." Sakuya responds with a hand on her hips.

"Ah, now we're getting somewhere." Sakaki starts with his usual smile on his face, "Why don't we expect Aragami to take a Human Form? It's because we haven't found one that can. But what if, there are more like this girl?"

"Is there a point to this lecture?" I ask him, "And why is it sitting there?" I point at the Aragami.

"The point to my lecture is that I will be studying this girl. As for the second question, I believe that the girl has taken an interest to Winter." Sakaki answered.

"She's not- not gonna eat him is she?" Kanon asked worriedly.

"No! No! Of course not." Sakaki responded.

"But how do we know for sure?" Alisa says as she fiddles with her hair.

"Well, she hasn't tried to eat any of us yet. Besides, I have a theory as to why she will not eat Winter."

"You said something similar back at the temple. So what's this theory?" I ask.

"I don't have permission to tell you. After all, it relies heavily on Winter." Sakaki answers.

"So, you're saying it's Winter's fault that the Aragami is crazy for him?" Sakuya asks.

"Technically, yes. Logically, no. He didn't even know the girl existed so it can't be directly his fault." I would say something but there comes a knocking from the room that Winter was put in.

"Ah, just as I thought." Sakaki says and walks towards the door. I see that the Aragami is still staring at the door.

Winter's POV

I regain consciousness in a bed and hear voices. These voices belong to the group I have just been removed from.

'Wait a minute. That bastard, Sakaki, just knocked me out! I'm going to give him a beating.' I get up from the bed and knock on the door. I hear shuffling from the other side of the door as well as a "ah, just as I thought" from Sakaki.

'Yeah? Well let's see if you thought about this?' I hear Sakaki opening the door. I move my right arm backwards and make a fist with my hand.

"Ah, you're..." he never finished though, as I had punched him in the face. He falls onto the floor and I would have hit him again had Kanon not stepped into the way.

"That's enough Winter." She says calmly and I lower my fist. I move away from the two but not before saying,

"You deserved that Sakaki."

"I suppose I did." He says with a smile as he gets back onto his feet.

"So why did you do knock me out?" I say with anger laced in my voice. I notice that the Aragami has stood up and is approaching me. Thus, I move back away from it.

"And why is this thing following me?" I ask.

"I must admit that I'm not sure, myself, but I am intrigued. She will not hurt you so there is no need to move backwards." Sakaki answers.

"How do you know that?" I ask him and stop moving backwards

"Well, if she wanted to attack you, she would have done that a long time ago."Sakaki answers again and the Aragami stops in front of me.

"Shio!" It shouts.

"What?" I ask, confused.

"Shio!" It repeats again with a smile on its face while moving its arms and body awkwardly. The fact this beast can smile and even talk like a Human sickens me. Seeing that it is not getting a response out of me, it turns towards the others.

"Shio!" It shouts again.

"What's a Shio?"Alisa asks as she turns to Sakuya.

"Are you Shio?" Sakuya asks the Aragami. The Aragami has a smile on its face as it continues to move awkwardly.

"Well, we've established that the girl is named Shio." Sakaki states happily.

"This thing has a name?" I question.

"More importantly, who named it?" Soma asks. That gets me thinking.

"Nevertheless, the girl shall, henceforth, be referred to as Shio." Sakaki states.

"Yeah, good luck with that Doc." I respond and head towards the door, only to find that the Aragami is following me.

"You can stop following me." I say as I stop. I decide to change direction and walk towards Kanon, Kota, Sakuya and Alisa. It continues to follow. I go behind them and it pushes them out of the way. Seeing that it is continuing to follow me, I run towards the door. Only for the Aragami to run alongside me.

"The hell!" I shout angrily as I stop which makes her stop as well.

"It looks like she will follow you everywhere, Winter." Sakaki states.

"Tell me something I don't know." I shout back in response.

"I think it is kinda cute." Kanon says and I turn towards her.

"What?" I say with less anger in my voice.

"She's like a lost child trying to find her mother, or father in your case." Kanon says happily. I would respond but Sakaki speaks first,

"Nevertheless, it would appear that in order to keep her in the room, then Winter will need to remain in the room."

"What? How's that going to work? I'm the Captain of the 1st Unit. I need to complete important missions." I retort.

"Well, we may just need to let Shio get to know everyone else. While you're in here though, I want you to teach Shio." Sakaki responds, still with his ever-present smile on his face.

"What? Why?" I ask.

"Think about it, an Aragami that can talk our language. Is that not something we should research into." Sakaki answers.

"I don't like this..." I begin but Sakaki interrupts,

"Well, the fact of the matter is that you report to me. Therefore it is my decision on what I let you do and I order you to teach Shio." Sakaki pulls rank on me.

"Kanon" I turn to her, "Help me out here." I notice that she goes slightly red and starts to play with fingers,

"We-well, I-I can help you teach her." Kanon says shyly.

"Perfect! Winter and Kanon will teach Shio. They can remain here, the rest of you are dismissed." Sakaki states happily and Alisa, Kota and Sakuya leave, leaving me, Soma, Kanon and Sakaki in the laboratory.

"I am hungry!" The girl shouts.

"I'm not comfortable with this..." I say but am interrupted.

"I want you to teach her, to be her friend. You too, Kanon. I feel she will find a particular affection for you, Winter as well as Soma."

"You're out of your mind! She may play pretend well, but she is not a human, just an approximation. She's still a monster on the inside."

"So are two other people in this room..." Sakaki trails off as Soma begins walking towards the door before stopping and turn around,

"Who are these other two?" Soma asks as he turns towards Kanon and I.

"I'll talk to you later, Soma." I tell him as I push him out of the door. I hear a "What?" from the other side of the door but choose not to answer it.

"What do you mean by that?" Kanon asks, turning to Sakaki.

"It'll be best to ask around yourself." Sakaki states before going to his desk leaving Kanon with a confused expression,

"I'll tell you later, Kanon." I tell her, "Right now, we've got another problem..."

Time skip to 21:00

"I must admit, you have made excellent progress." Sakaki states happily, "She is almost fluent in English. Well done!"

"Thank you, sir." Shio responds happily.

"Well, I think it is about time that you all got some rest." Sakaki states as he opens the door to the room that I slept in during the medical examinations.

"Shio, you'll sleep in here."

"What about Winter?" She asks.I turn to Sakaki to see his response.

"Don't worry. He's been in there so often that I bet the sheets smell like him." Sakaki states with a smile on his face.

"That's er... I don't know what to say..." I trail off.

"okay." The girl says sadly but retreats into the room.

"Now Kanon, I believe you should be on your way as well." Sakaki tells her.

"Right." Is her simple response before leaving the room to go to her quarters.

"Can I leave as well?" I ask.

"Not yet," Sakaki starts, "I have some bad news for you."

"Bad news? Like what?"

"Remember when we first met at the Wailing Plains?"

"Yeah..." I answer him.

"I informed you that you were compatible as a New Type. While I'm not wrong, it appears that my data was off..." Sakaki begins before standing right in front of me, "Due to my data, I believe that you are too compatible with the Bias Factor. You see, after all your missions, I've had Licca said me reports on how your God Arc is doing and the levels have been growing significantly."

"What does that mean?" I ask him.

"It means that if you continue to use your God Arc, your life expectancy will be lowered significantly."

"And what is my life expectancy at the moment?" I ask him and Sakaki answers,

"I estimate that you have three more years to live."


	23. Chapter 23 - Breaking the News (P1)

From the Start

Chapter 22

"Speech"

'Thoughts'

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Also, please leave a review.

Winter's POV

I left Sakaki's laboratory soon after the conversation we had. It is still very depressing to know that I will die sometime in the next three years. The end of my life. However, that is just an estimation. It is likely that it is wrong. Walking down the Executive Section to my room, I notice that Kanon is standing in the corridor. I walk up to her and she raises her head.

"Yeah, I locked my door." I say jokingly and see that Kanon smiles slightly.

"What did Doctor Sakaki say?" She asks, getting straight to the point. At this point I've unlocked the door to my room.

"We'll talk inside." I say as we enter the room. I direct her to the couch and sit down beside her.

"You may not want to hear this." I tell her as I relax onto the couch.

"So it's bad?" Kanon says with a small, cute smile on her face, trying to lighten the mood.

"Oh yeah. Very bad." I also say with a small smile on my face before becoming serious. Kanon sees the mood change and also becomes serious and silent.

"Tell me, how often is Sakaki wrong?" I ask her.

"Not very often." Kanon replies.

"Doctor Sakaki has given me three years to live." I tell her as I look up at the ceiling and I am met with no response. Seconds pass and there is still no response. I look back at her to see her shaking slightly. Understanding what is happening, I take her into my arms and press her head into my chest. Then I hear the whimpers before it turns into very loud sobs. I try to muffle the sobs but it does little to help the sound. It is then that Sakuya and Soma barge into my room.

"I heard crying, what's going on?" Sakuya says as she looks around and tries to identify the source of the sound.

"Kanon's a little upset right now..." I tell her and they come closer to us.

"Why is she upset?" Soma asks curiously.

"I never thought you would have cared about someone's feelings, Soma." I say jokingly.

"Answer the question!" He demands.

"I want to know as well." Sakuya simply states. Kanon's sobs start to lessen.

"When we had finished babysitting Shio, Sakaki wanted to talk to me. To summarise what he said, it was that I have three years to live..." I state matter of factly and feel Kanon tense. I observed their reactions. Sakuya seemed depressed and Soma seemed genuinely surprised. Seeing that they weren't going to say anything, I continued,

"There's more." Kanon tensed again and I seen Sakuya brace herself for it.

"If I continue using my God Arc, the three years can be drastically shortened." I state.

"And what if you don't use your God Arc? You can just craft weapons out of Aragami materials to fight." Soma speaks up, leaning against the wall and Sakuya finally takes a seat. Kanon raises her head towards me after Soma's question and waits for a response. Looking down at her, I must admit that she is pretty cute.

"I asked Sakaki the same thing. Apparently, it is because of the fact that I have fought using Aragami weapons that I am too compatible with my God Arc. Had I never crafted Aragami weapons, I'd probably have been fine." I answer.

"You haven't answered my question." Soma states solemnly.

"Sakaki doesn't know what will happen if I continue to use Aragami weapons. He has taken numerous blood samples from me and bathed some of the spears I created in my blood. The final result is that my blood manifested itself into the form of the spears."

"So if you use Aragami materials it is likely that your body will adapt to them and modify itself to become like them." Sakuya finishes.

"It is possible, but it is not determined." I add to Sakuya's statement.

"I think I need to be alone for awhile." Sakuya states before getting up and heading for the door with Soma following.

"Before you both leave, keep this to yourself. I'll tell the others eventually." I state and they leave. I let Kanon cuddle me for a while longer.

Once I decided that Kanon was composed enough, I decided to pull away from her. She pulled herself with me and thus didn't let go.

"You can let go now." I tell her.

"Let's stay like this for a little while longer." She says as she gets herself more comfortable by lying on the couch and keeps her hold on me.

"You're not giving me a choice, are you?" I ask her, knowing her response.

"No." She simply responds and rests her head on my lap, taking her arms away from me.

"You're just like a child." I tell her and put a hand on her head.

"Got a problem with that?" She asks slightly annoyed.

"No, it's quite funny actually. I never thought of you acting like a kid." I state simply and rub her head.

"You should see me when I'm with my little sister, Kotomi." Kanon says with a smile on her face.

"I never knew you had a younger sister. What's she like?" I ask curiously.

"Well physical appearance is similar to mine, she also has pink hair. She's currently at the Far East Wolf Valley Academy to train to become a God Eater." Kanon answers.

"I never knew there was such a place."

"It is where I was before I was moved here." Kanon states.

"How was it?" I ask, keeping the conversation going.

"It wasn't too bad actually. You never do actually hunt Aragami, just learn about them. My mother decided it would be best to let us attend before becoming full-time God Eaters."

"Oh? And what's your mother like?" I ask, distracting her of the topic of my death. She turns in my lap so that she's facing me,

"You can meet her if you'd like." Kanon tells me.

"Meeting your mother? We're not even dating yet." I say with a tinge of humour in my voice. Kanon becomes nervous, and her cheeks become red.

"W-Well" Kanon fidgets with her hands, "We can start."

"Start what?" I ask, deciding to tease her.

"We can... Start dating." She says nervously.

"You're cute when you're nervous, do you know that?" I say teasingly before kissing her forehead.

"Does this mean..." Kanon raises a hand to where I kissed.

"Yeah, we're officially a couple." I tell her and watch her face light up in happiness. We sit in silence for 10 minutes, appreciating the current setting. I look at her and I hear her shallow breathing. I decide to let her sleep in my lap as there'd be no way of removing her without waking her up, and besides, I couldn't wake her up when she has a blissful smile on her face. I too, retreat to the demand of sleep.

Waking up the next day, I notice that I awake before Kanon. I look down to see her peaceful face still in my lap. However, she should be waking up now and going back to her room so she can prepare for the day. I tap her on the head,

"Come on, Kanon, Time to get up." I say and she grumbles before turning over. Smiling, I try to imitate Miss Amamiya,

"Kanon Daiba, report for your mission!" She jumps up and salutes the air. I struggle to keep from laughing as she looks around the room to see Tsubaki.

"Good impression then?" I say as she turns to me.

"Who were you pretending to be?" She asks with her hands on her hips.

"Guess not then. Anyway, shouldn't you be getting ready for the day?" I ask her, removing the humour from my voice.

"Oh, yeah!" She shouts as she runs towards the door. Before she leaves though, I tell her that I'll be at Sakaki's laboratory and thus leave the room to go there.


	24. Chapter 24

From the Start

Chapter 24

"Speech"

'Thoughts'

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Also, please leave a review.

Winter's POV

Entering Sakaki's laboratory, I see that Soma is also present.

"Ah, impeccable timing. Thanks to you, Shio's natural intelligence has sky rocketed. She is nearly at an adult level of comprehension and conversation." Sakaki starts.

"I did really good! Thank you! Thank you both!" Shio says while standing next to Sakaki.

"Though she still retains some speech patterns. In any case, we have a pressing issue. I don't mean to frighten you, but... We have no source of food for Shio. Suffice to say, this must be handled immediately. I had a sufficient stockpile of cores... Heh, or at least I thought it sufficient. But just yesterday it seems I have emptied my coffers. So, that in mind, I think it's time you took her out for a night. Uh, a date, if you will. A full three course dinner should suffice very well. Good luck."

"Good luck!" Shio repeats as she bows her head. I nod in response.

"So explain why the hell you called me in for. You can't just force jobs on me." Soma demands and I turn my head to him.

"Ah, so you recruited Soma did you? Truly proof of your leadership! Well done!" Sakaki states with his usual smile on his face, "I suppose you won't be able to resist now, will you, Soma?"

"Damn you, old man." Soma responds, clearly not happy at the arrangement.

"Lovely! Now, go forth and feast! I put my faith in you."

"Thank you much!" Shio declares gratefully before turning to Sakaki,

"Doctor? Uh... What's a date mean?" She asks.

"It's... A joyous occasion for all." Sakaki answers, turning his head to Shio.

"Sounds delicious! I'm ready for some joyous occasion!" Shio states whilst turning towards Soma and I.

"Well, I will expect you all to be back later. Go to." Sakaki states as Soma and I leave the laboratory whilst concealing Shio.

Before arriving at the Abandoned Carrier, I had equipped myself with numerous Aragami materials including the Cocoon Maiden spears that I had kept since the last time. I also have my God Arc attached to my back in the event that I need to use it. During the helicopter ride with Soma, Shio, Kota and Alisa, Soma asked,

"So are you going to use it?" Understanding what he meant, I answer,

"If I need to." Hoping to satiate his curiosity. Alisa and Kota looked to each other from the opposite sides of the helicopter, confused with the conversation.

"Use what?" Kota speaks up. Alisa stays silent, also wanting to know.

"I'll tell you after the mission." I answer simply. Meanwhile, Shio is oblivious to the whole conversation.

We finally arrive at the Abandoned Carrier.

"Right guys, the mission is to destroy 20 Ogretails."

"20!" Kota shouts, surprised.

"Yep, 20. Relax, we can do it." I tell him.

"Hell yeah we can!" Kota shouts in agreement. Meanwhile, Soma has already jumped out of the helicopter and started fighting the 5 Ogretails that are present.

"Alisa, stay in the helicopter until it lands so that we can take Shio with us." I instruct her.

"Right." She says sternly and Kota and I jump out of the helicopter. We land seconds later, and hear two other people land seconds after us. It was Alisa and Shio.

"I told you to stay on the helicopter." I state to Alisa.

"She jumped out right after you. I never thought she would." Alisa replies.

"Anyway, we've got to help Soma." I say and we rush to help him. 10 minutes later and the 20 Ogretails have been destroyed.

"Let's eat! It's time to eat!" Shio shouts happily, "Oh! Wait, wait, wait!" She says as she turns to Soma.

"Soma! Soma, you wanna come eat too?" She asks Soma.

"Hehe, whoa there Shio. We don't eat Aragami. We're human, you see?" Kota speaks up.

"Human? But... But...um. Soma's Aragami says he's hungry and he wants to eat." Shio replies.

"What the -?" Kota says in disbelief while turning to Soma.

"Shut up! That's... I'm not a monster! I'm nothing like you! Nothing!" Soma shouts at Shio before turning away.

"The hell man..." Kota responds, still in disbelief. Alisa and I choose to remain silent.

"Just be silent for once! I'm so sick of this!" Soma shouts as he walks away. Shio runs after him.

"Soma! Um..." Shio starts and Soma stops, "I was alone for a long time. I didn't have anybody at all... So now... Um, is that right? So now... So now, I'm happy. Because I found you, Soma. I'm happy because I found all of you. My friends. And because I... So... So now, I get to... Um... So now..." Soma walks away.

"Hey, Soma, get back here! Come on!" Kota shouts after him as he walks closer to Shio. Alisa and I also decide to walk closer to Shio.

"Be moodier, Soma, damn." I turn towards Kota and shake my head.

"Wait, what's that look? You know something?" Kota asks.

"I'll tell you soon. Right now," I turn to Shio, "you should eat." I notice that she is too depressed to move. I move closer to her,

"Come on, Shio." I wrap my arms around her shoulder and we walk back to one of the Ogretails' corpse. I move my arm away from her so that I can cut a part of the Ogretail off for her to eat.

"Shio, you're hungry. Eat." I tell her, beginning to lose my patience. She takes the piece from me and she slowly starts to eat. I leave her so that she can eat and walk back to Alisa and Kota. I tell them why Soma was acting the way he was.

"Wow... That's just... So I guess that makes him the original God Eater, huh? The basis of all this, of God Arcs and... Wow." Kota says, surprised at the new information.

"And worse, the poor guy thinks he killed his own mother? Just be being born? That's awful..." Alisa says also surprised at the new information.

"How long has he been carrying that around? How long has he held it in?" Alisa asks.

"Yeah, and I'm sorry to say that I have more bad news." I tell them.

"What is it?" Kota asks.

"Remember the conversation that Soma and I had on the helicopter? He was asking if I was going to use my God Arc."

"Why would he ask that?" Alisa questions.

"Well, I've already told Soma and Sakuya this but Sakaki has given me three years to live." I state simply.

"Wait, seriously dude?" Kota asks.

"If this is a joke, it is a very bad one." Alisa says.

"It's not a joke. I've been told that I am too compatible with my God Arc. In fact, if I keep using my God Arc then my life could become even shorter than three years. Hence why I used these Cocoon Maiden spears." The two are silent and Shio continues to eat the Ogretails.

"I do have good news though..." I say to try and lighten their moods,

"Kanon and I are officially a couple." I state and am met with congratulations from the both of them although it doesn't sound like they really mean it. Most likely because of the information overload they have received today.

30 minutes later and the four of us, Shio, Alisa, Kota and I, are back in the laboratory. I am discussing things with Sakaki which includes the meals that Shio will need to eat when I hear Alisa,

"Oh! Wh-What? I... Ah..."

"Soft and soft!" I hear Shio say, it's not enough to make me turn around though and I continue talking to Sakaki. Moments later, I hear Kota,

"ow... Ow!"

"Hard and hard. Hugggg!" Shio says but it still doesn't make me turn around.

"So you're saying that she will need to feed on something bigger than the Ogretails next time?" I ask the professor as I feel somebody hugging me from behind.

"Hmmm..." I turn around in the person's grip to see that it was Shio hugging me. She lets go,

"That's weird... That's so weird..."

"I'm pretty sure you're the weird one here." Kota states and I can't help agreeing.

"This is new indeed! She's starting to draw conclusions based on unique differences. She's finding specificity!" Sakaki says. Alisa walks closer to Sakaki,

"What? Between all of us?" she asks and Sakaki turns to her before turning back to Shio.

"Indeed so! She's finding the uniqueness between people. Race, gender, personality, body-type! She's piqued by diversity, I believe! You see, Aragami breed - if such a term can be used - asexually, each creating more of itself. Yet new species grow, like the Vajra. Shio has no concept of gender, but she's maturing and beginning to understand."

"Well she certainly seems to be a girl. At least, in appearance." Alisa states.

"She certainly does. We must do something about those clothes, don't you think? The Director will be returning soon." Sakaki states, "Anyway, it's about time that you all should prepare for tomorrow. I have a busy day planned for you all." Sakaki states and we all take our leave.

The next day, Sakaki has gathered us in his laboratory again. The entire 1st Unit.

"Sorry for summoning you in haste, but you see... I have a problem.. And it is well beyond my experience as a man of science. Would you mind helping to... Dress Shio?" He asks.

"Sorry, once more... You want to dress her?" Sakuya repeats and Sakaki turns to her.

"I've tried endless approaches, each a tragic failure. She does not seem privy to my fashion sense." Sakaki states.

"No, no, no! No more scratchy and coarse!" Shio exclaims whilst looking at everybody individually.

"As I said, So, lacking othr operatives of note, I decided to seek help from the branch's ladies."

"So then why the hell did you summon me? Damn you, old man." Soma says before leaving the laboratory.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure I'm going to be next to useless. My style is unique and Bugarally was getting good. Hey, Winter, want to watch a series with me?" Kota asks me.

"I'm afraid I will need him to stay here, Kota. But you can go and watch it." Sakaki states gaining a grumble from me.

"Well, whatever. See you later pal." He tells me before leaving the laboratory.

"Well, I'll see if I can dress her in something a little less... Rags..." Sakuya starts as she heads for the door to Shio's residence, "Come on, Shio. Let's try some stuff!"

"What are we gonna try?" Shio asks.

"Doctor, we're gonna borrow this back room for a while. We'll find something she likes. Alisa, Kanon, would you mind helping out?"

"Not at all." Alisa answers as she walks towards Sakuya and Shio.

"Okay!" Kanon exclaimed and walked towards them. The four of them step inside the room.

"I think the most interesting quality is Shio's genetic makeup." Sakaki states as he turns towards me, "So adaptable, so diverse. It might go a long way in securing a bright new future for humanity."

"So why am I here, Sakaki? Has something happened in the experiments you have conducted using my blood?" I ask him, confused as to why I must remain here.

"No something hasn't happened in the experiments..." Sakaki states before we hear a crash and Alisa, Kanon and Sakuya emerge from the door.

"Um... Sh-Shio may have, uh..." Alisa begins but Sakuya finishes,

"Crashed through the wall and fled." Sakaki turns to me,

"You are here in case this happened. I need you to follow Shio and bring her back. I'll arrange to have Soma and Kota follow." I give him a nod of my head then follow out of the hole that Shio created with only my Cocoon Maiden spears with me.

Soma's POV

10 minutes after Sakaki alerted me that Shio had escaped, I wound up in the Tranquil Temple.

"Hey... Are you in here, Shio?" I ask.

"Nope. Not in here!" I hear as a response and look towards where the sound was coming from. It was almost cute. Almost.

"All right, playtime's over. We have to go back to the Den." I tell her.

"I don't want to wear the scratchy thing..." is her response.

"Heh... Still an Aragami, just moving on instinct." I state and Shio emerges from her hiding place.

"S-Soma?"

"Yeah?"

"Are you still mad at me? You were... You were really mad before..."

"Yeah... It wasn't you. Okay?" I say.

"Soma, be honest. I did something that's bad, didn't I? Mm... I don't want to be scratchy to Soma... I did something wrong... Didn't I?" Shio asks.

"Listen to you. Come so far...If I could only live for a minute like you... Forget myself and forget all of this for even just a minute. Heh... I'd probably like it too much."

"S-Soma?"

"Hm?"I respond.

"Do you taste good? I don't know if you do..." I laugh a little,

"Well, okay. I guess there's only one way to find that out, isn't there?" I ask so that she would come closer and we can go back to the Den.

"We are close. Closer than I thought. Simply by virtue of being the only ones in the world like us." I state.

"So Soma and I are the same!" Shio exclaims.

"Only because we're stuck and lost..." I respond.

"Then let's go find ourselves!" She states happily with a fist bump into to air.

"Come on with that..." I say and she gets down from her hiding place and walks to me. We hear Kota calling for her,

"Shiiiioooo! Come on out, Shio!" I turn to her.

"You know what, Shio?" She turns towards me, "It's a vaccination to them... But those guys? They have to inject themselves with Aragami cells, just to have the hope of surviving... Heh... They're even more lost and afraid than we are."

"Yes. They are lost and afraid. Like us. They are like us. Our friends... I feel it..."

"Maybe they are... Come on, let's head home now." I turn to see Shio and see that she is getting ready to bite me. I hold her off and she stops. We meet up with Kota and eventually find Winter ripping the limbs off of two Polar Kongou. How the hell he was able to defeat them using only spears is beyond me. I see that he has already removed the teeth out of both the Kongou. All of this, just so h can live a little longer. It's a shame really. He turns towards us,

"Ah, you've found her. Good job! Hey Shio, are you hungry?" He asks as he gestures towards the Polar Kongou. I notice that Shio runs towards the Aragami and starts eating.

'It'll be a dark day when he does die' I think to myself.

Winter's POV

20 minutes later, we get back to the laboratory and after another 30 minutes, Shio, Kanon, Alisa and Sakuya emerge from the room the were using.

"And ta da!" Sakuya says as she 'unveils' Shio's new dress.

"Oh my god, it's like the cutest thing I've ever seen ever!" Alisa squeals.

"Heh, I thought so. Just like a little girl, huh?" Sakuya asks happily.

"Huh? Do I? Huh. Hehehehe!" Shio says happily and giggles.

"That's really something else. Looks amazing, right Soma?" Kota asks as he turns to him. He turns away as he says,

"Yeah, I guess it's cute."

"Honesty? From Soma? Are you all right?" Kota asks him.

"I feel like... Really so good!" Shio exclaims and she clasps er hands together.

'It is actually a cute sight' I think to myself. But then she starts singing...

"la la la la la la la la"

'Wait a minute, I've heard this before!' I think to myself and feel a mild pain in my back. The pain only grows as she continues,

"la la la la la la la la."

"Excuse me." I say as I leave the room to avoid her singing. But I can still hear it. I reach my room in the Executive Section but I can still hear it. It won't go away! The pain is getting significantly worse. I collapse onto the bed and once again feel a pressure on my back. I feel my consciousness drift and I eventually lose consciousness. Before I do though, I hear a scream for a female.


	25. Chapter 25

From the Start

Chapter 25

"Speech"

'Thoughts'

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Also, please leave a review. I don't actually know where to go from here. I may create multiple versions of this chapter and upload them.

Sakaki's POV

I noticed that when Shio started singing, Winter had taken an abrupt leave, followed closely by Kanon. I do wonder why he left in such a hurry, it was a pleasant song sung by Shio.

"Hehe! Did you guys ever hear that? It's called a song. It's pretty." Shio says happily although I notice that she looked towards the door a few times while saying that.

"Oh my..." Alisa says in surprise as she clasps her hands together.

"That was incredible, Shio!" Sakuya exclaims.

"It was? Was it... A good job?" Shio looks towards Soma who gives a nod of his head.

"Hehehe! I did a good job... Hehe! And now I can't stop smiling..." Shio says happily.

"Where did you learn that? It was so beautiful." Sakuya comments.

"Huh? Soma and I heard it together!" Shio answers and looks at Sakuya.

"You did what?" Kota asks surprised and almost jumps back a metre.

"Well then, my, my, my, Soma..." Sakuya teases.

"Oh, you heard it together, hm? Is that right?" Alisa also teases.

"That's... I just... Uh..." Soma stutters. It is quite a sight to see Soma lost for words.

"When did you find the time to get all buddy-buddy, eh, buddy?" Kota asks.

"Dammit... Stupid song... Can't believe this..."

"Well, I think that is quite enough for today. You've all done very well. In other news, I have received word that the Director will be back tomorrow. So you should all get some rest." I say and the 1st Unit leaves, but not before hearing a scream and seeing Kanon run up the stairs holding a limp Winter in her arms.

"My, what happened to him?" Alisa asks.

"I'm not sure but he's unconscious! He's not responding to anything I say!" Kanon shouts in a panic.

"Bring him through here, Kanon. I'll see what I can do." I tell her as I open the door to the room that does not house Shio.

"Now you should all go back to your own quarters. Don't worry about Winter, I'll take care of him." I tell them as I set up the medical equipment and they leave my laboratory. Hours later, I remove the medical equipment from Winter and analyse the results of his medical.

Winter's POV

The next day, I awoke in a room that wasn't mine. It was a familiar room though. It looked similar to Sakaki's medical room. I can hear people talking outside. It took seconds for to identify one of the voices as being Sakaki. The other voice was one I hadn't heard in a while. Despite this, I walked to the door and knocked on it. It was easy for me to identify this room as the one that I was in after Sakaki knocked me out. Seconds later, Sakaki released me from the room. I noticed that the Director was also present in the room.

"Good to see you again. Believe it or not, I continued to hear much of your accomplishments whilst I travelled through Europe on business." Johannes says as he turns to me.

"I am proud to see that you have been living up to my expectations. As Director of the Far East, I extend my gracious thanks." Johannes continued, "Let us discuss more in my office." He says and we walk to his office, silently.

"I hope you'll forgive my lack of formality, but I'm pressed for time, so I'll get right to it." he says as soon as we enter his office, "I summoned you here to continue our conversation from before I left. Concerning special missions and tasks. These operations will be varied in nature, their objectives will run the gamut, but they all share one rule. They are to be performed under my direct supervision. You will report to no one but me. Needless to say but this applies to any materiel and rewards you may receive during the missions as well. Each and every one of these missions operates under a strict standard of confidentiality. Due to their sensitive nature, they will be performed most often alone. Only rarely will you require a team. In return for your service, I'll gladly provide you with approximate monetary value of the rare items that you collect and return. I know you. You are a strong and resourceful God Eater, strong enough to accomplish anything you intend to. I would not trust you otherwise. Each mission I ask of you is a direct mark of my faith. Lindow... He served me well in this same capacity. He was an extraordinary warrior, and a good man. Losing him was a devastating blow, not just to his allies, but to me as well. I was fortunate to find you - A God Eater with the potential to be as strong, perhaps stronger, than he. I will depend on your assistance and your discretion. Thank you." He finishes his speech and I give a nod of my head.

"Excellent. Your first mission is to kill an Ouroboros. You will not require a team for this, however it would be wise to prepare well. I need the core of this Ouroboros to continue work on the Aegis Project. You are to set out immediately." He finishes and I leave his office.

I see Soma as I step out of his office,

"So... He finally summoned you too. I will only say this once. Don't trust him. He pulls strings you can't even imagine." Soma states before walking away. I give it a few minutes before also walking away, heading to the lift so that I can grab my God Arc from the Storage Warehouse and my spears from my room.

Defeating an Ouroboros is a difficult task, but defeating it by yourself is significantly more so. Nevertheless, after 25 minutes, it took its last breath and collapsed with a thud. I proceeded to extract the core, being forced to use my God Arc and possibly ending my life sooner. Despite this, I also use my God Arc to rip off the tentacles of the Ouroboros and rip out its eyes whilst thinking about the weapons that I can manifest them into.

"Now, if you are good, I'll let you feed more often." I say to my God Arc as I lift it up to my eye level.

"And if we live, you will also feed more." I tell my God Arc whilst thinking about my three years that I have left on the face of this Aragami-riddled Earth.

"We should head back and report now." I continue speaking to my God Arc as I strap it to my back. Once I do get back, Johannes congratulates me but informs me that I will have another mission and to head to the Den Gate.

Arriving there, I am met with Alisa, Sakuya and Kota as well as Tsubaki.

"We have confirmed the strange signal emanating from today's target,,, It matches up with Lindow's Armlet. It could still be some kind of mistake, but there is a good chance you will face Lindow's killer. It will be a gruelling fight. There's no denying that. But after running a number of scenarios, we've determined you can defeat it. Do not be swayed by thoughts of vengeance. If you are to fight this beast, you must do it with caution and strategy." Tsubaki says informatively and I give a nod of my head.

"Lindow... Finally, we have this chance. Finally..." Sakuya states as she and Alisa nod their heads in unison. After the briefing, we each go our separate ways to prepare for the mission.

Killing the Prithvi Mata was tough after I had just fought an Ouroboros and it had shown as I collapsed onto the ground after it was defeated, panting. After regaining my breath, I stood back up and used my God Arc to devour its core, choosing to continue using my God Arc for the fights with larger Aragami.

"Find it?" Kota asks and I give a shake of my head.

"It's not here." Sakuya says exasperatedly.

"The research unit let us get our hopes up and everything, and then..." Alisa stated before Kota interrupted, trying to keep everyone's hopes up,

"Hey, maybe it just ran off when it saw us coming... It's possible." We hear a quiet roar and head in the direction of it. We end up in front of a cliff and look up to see a Dyaus Pita growling at us before turning away.

"You can't flee forever. One way or another we will hunt you down. Just wait..." Sakuya states before we decide to head home. I head straight to my room after the mission and immediately fall asleep.

The next day, when I am walking in the Den, I head over to Kota who is talking with Tatsumi and Brendan when an alarm sounds.

"That's the Aragami alarm! They're in the Outer Ghetto!" Kota shouts.

"We're on it. After all, this is a job for the Defence Unit!" Tatsumi responds.

"Don't you worry about this. Let us handle the home front." Brendan continues.

"A-All right! I'm counting on you guys. Good luck!" Kota replies to them and they head off. Kota turns to me,

"It's been happening to o much... The Aragami keep breaking through the Wall"

"It's because there have been so many changes to the Aragami in the last few months. The Anti-Aragami Wall isn't equipped to handle this much alteration." Hibari says from behind her desk as she turns to us.

"You mean it's the Bias Factor? It's just not strong enough to cope with the Aragami pattern changes anymore?" Kota asks.

"It's strong, just not strong enough." Hibari answers, "There is a way to upgrade it, theoretically. Installing a core from one of those new Aragami... Should reinforce the armour. Still..."

"Sweet! That sounds like a plan then!" Kota exclaims as he turns to me, "Let's head out!" I nod in response.

1 hour later, Kota and I have brought back the core of an Ouroboros and a Prithvi Mata which was instantly installed into the Wall. We meet Tatsumi and Brendan in the Den,

"Hey guys, so... Is everything all right?" Kota asks.

"Better. Thanks to you guys and the new cores, we managed to lockdown the area and contain the Aragami." Brendan says.

"Yeah. It wasn't an easy fight. We lost some good people." Tatsumi responds, depressed.

"Oh no, I'm so sorry. If we'd been faster, maybe we could've..." Kota begins but Brendan interrupts,

"It's not your fault. Region E-26 was under heavy fire, so... Mostly just houses were hit. It was tough going."

"What? E-26?" Kota repeats and rushes off.

"Oh, dammit. That's where his family is from, isn't it?" Brendan asks rhetorically before turning to me,

"Go check on him, will you?"

"Yeah, I'll give it some time though." I respond.

"Cool, thanks man." Tatsumi says as the two of them leave.

After 10 minutes, I head over to Kota's room and enter. I see him sitting down and looking solemn on one of the couches. I prepare my speech about how it was destined to happen at some point but he raises his head and says,

"Hey... It's cool. Mom and Nozomi are safe..." Kota begins and I gave him a warm smile but let him continue talking,

"We need Aegis. We need it now more than ever. It's the only way. And if it'll protect them, I'll do anything to see it happen. I'll do anything..."

"Maybe you should rest, Kota. We did just fight two large Aragami..." I tell him.

"Yeah, you're right. You should take your own advice too. I don't recall you ever having a day off and being too injured to fight does not count as a day off." He tells me.

"I'll have a day off soon but I also need some rest. I'll see you tomorrow, Kota." I tell him as I leave the room.

"Yeah, see ya." He responds. I go back to my room where I fall asleep almost instantly.


	26. Chapter 26

From the Start

Chapter 26

"Speech"

'Thoughts'

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Also, please leave a review.

Waking up the next day, I was ordered to meet at the Den's Gate.

"We are now certain that Lindow's Armlet is sending out signals." Tsubaki starts once the four of us, Sakuya, Alisa, Soma and I were attentive.

"The Aragami from before has made another appearance. We're dispatching you immediately. As always, stay calm, focus on the battle at hand, and do not relent. Come home safely." I give a nod of my head and we set out.

The target was a Dyaus Pita, however, a Prithvi Mata was reported to be in the area and we stumbled across it in the middle of the Church in the City of Mercy. The fight didn't last very long as everybody had motivation. The hope to find some clue about Lindow's whereabouts. But when the Dyaus Pita turned up after we had defeated the ice-type Vajra, that is when things took a turn for the worse. Sakuya and Alisa were frozen in fear when it showed up. They did eventually snap out of their trance but that was after it was defeated. I charged my God Arc up to devour its core and rummage through it to see if Lindow's Armlet was within it. I couldn't find it from where I was so Alisa gave it a try from her angle. I see Sakuya rummaging around near the Aragami's mouth.

"I think... I got something" Alisa says, exhausted from the battle.

"This... This is it, isn't it? It's his Armlet. His... His Armlet." Sakuya says exasperatedly as she collapses to the floor, "No... Lindow, no..." I turn to see Alisa also on the ground,

"Lindow..." She mumbles. I turn to see Soma's reaction and notice that he looks towards Sakuya.

"Hibari, we've completed the mission. Requesting pick-up." I radio to Hibari, calling for a helicopter.

"Roger, it should be there within 5 minutes." She informs me and I cut the connection after thanking her.

"It's time to head to the pick-up point guys." I tell them and Alisa and Sakuya pick themselves up from the ground with Sakuya still clutching the Armlet. Walking to the pick-up point, Sakuya turns her head towards me,

"When we get back, can you come with me? I've got something to show you. You too Alisa."

"Okay." I respond and turn to Soma to see him look away from the three of us.

1 hour later, Alisa and I are in Sakuya's room.

"All right, let's open it up." Sakuya says as she places Lindow's Armlet into her terminal.

"There, we passed authorisation. One report file, one list... And look, one project file too."

"And some kind of executable. What could be inside it? How could he even put that on here?" Alisa asks.

"Our best bet is to start from the top. Let's open the report first." Sakuya says as she opens the report.

"I knew it... I knew he was keeping this from me. I just never expected... Ark Project? I don't even remember that. Have you ever heard of it?" Sakuya turns to Alisa.

"No, this is the first time it's come up. Oh, wait, I think that list is connected. Open that and let's take a look." Alisa instructs.

"These are all names, each linked with a part of the Ark Project. God Eaters, Engineers, Scientists... Plus family members." Sakuya states in disbelief.

"What's this for? Those names are for branches all over." Alisa asks.

"Let's leave the executable, I don't want to corrupt anything. Here, how about this? Aegis infiltration... Oh, Lindow... I'm gonna skip ahead a bit..."

"He needed proof of what was going on. I can't believe he was going to try to sneak in." Alisa stated in disbelief.

"Of course he would,. Oh, I can't believe I didn't see it. Everything ties together now. Everything! I know what has to be done." Sakuya begins as she turns to us.

"Sakuya, you can't go alone. I know you need to finish what he started, but..." Alisa begins but Sakuya interrupts,

"No, that's not it. Do me a favour and forget about all this. I will too. Promise me that, okay?"

"Forget about it? Are you serious? Why?" Alisa questions.

"Just do this for me, please. Someone in the Far East is involved, that much we know for certain. Someone powerful. If we make waves, we're the one's who'll get pulled out to sea."

"S-Sakuya, no... What if we tried to get a message out? HQ would have to help!" Alisa tried to reason with Sakuya.

"But we have nothing. No more than Lindow did. How can we be sure we're not under surveillance already? The terminal, comms, this whole room could be tapped and we wouldn't know. That's why we have to let it go." Sakuya answered.  
"There's gotta be..." Alisa tried again but was interrupted,

"Forget about it. Please, Alisa. I know that Lindow wouldn't want us getting hurt on some wild chase. I... I'd like to be alone for a while, if that's okay. Would you leave me?" Sakuya pleads.

"I give her a nod of my head and look to Alisa who looks at me before turning back to Sakuya,

"Right, sure." Alisa leaves the room. Before I do so, however, I turn back to Sakuya,

"I know that you intend to go to Aegis Island and I will not stop you, just don't get caught." I tell her before leaving and heading to my room to rest for the day.

The next day, Sakaki calls me into his office.

"Time is running short..." H begins but is cut off when Sakuya and Alisa barge into the room. After an explanation, Sakaki finally speaks.

"Just to be sure, she plunged into the ocean and disappeared from sight, yes?"

"I'm so sorry, Doctor." Sakuya apologises.

"No apologies. Your safety is most important. I'm glad to see you well. You're positive on the location? North end of the derelict carrier, looking towards Aegis?" Sakaki asks.

"Positive. That poor girl... What do you think happened? Is she gonna be okay?" Sakuya asks.

"I hope. But I can't say anything for sure now."

"Yes... Yes of course, thank you, Doctor." Alisa thanks him.

"Be prepared. I may call upon you to head up a search for young Shio. In the meantime, I'll keep you updated if I find anything. Please, get some rest." Sakaki tells the girls and they leave.

"I'll have to tell you at some other point. Right now, I want you to be prepared to bring Shio back." Sakaki tells me and I leave the laboratory.

Minutes later, I am told to report to the Director and so, I head to his office and enter.

"You've done me proud... And I have another assignment here that I mean for you. I charge you with this mission, to be given highest priority and executed in secrecy. A unique Aragami was detected off the coast of Aegis Island. All scouts indicate that it should still be near the Pacific shallows. Hunt down this Aragami. But be wary, it possesses a unique and dangerous intelligence. When you do find this creature... You are to execute it and extract the core immediately. Ensure that the core is intact. Then, bring it back here to me. I don't need to tell you how important this is. It could very well be the key to our survival. I suppose it will be difficult to hunt down one unique Aragami all on your own, so I'll be tasking Soma to go with you for the search. That is all. Continue to serve me well. Godspeed." He dismisses me and I therefore leave.

20 minutes later, I meet Soma at the pick-up point in the Abandoned Carrier.

"I'm sure you've already figured out that riddle... You know who my father wants us to find out here. The unique Aragami. He wants us to hunt Shio. All my life I've let him send me on these missions. Search and destroy. Hunt and kill." He turns to me, "But there is no way in hell that I will hand Shio over to that bastard. He will not lay a finger on her." He aims his God Arc at me,

"I don't want you to mistake this anger. I hate the way he manipulates us, the way he pulls strings like we're his damned toys." He smiles and moves his God Arc away.

"I've seen this angle before. When Eric died, I drew my blade on you. You were nothing but a rookie. Cannon fodder to feed the Aragami. And now you're... Hehehe... She's around here. I know that much for sure. Still, best to stay close and sharp, there are other feral ones running around. Keep your Arc up. We encountered a few Ogretails which were easily taken care of before we heard singing. I collapsed on my knees.

Soma's POV

"What's the matter with you?" I ask him as I walk towards him..

"Everytime she sings it feels like their is a massive weight on my back." he tells me whilst trying to block out the sound of Shio's singing. I see something ruffling his shirt from his back and tell him this.

"There's something ruffling your shirt." I walk behind Winter, kneel down and lift his shirt up. I am surprised by what I see.

"The hell?" I shout as I see two stubs growing from his back. Connecting the pieces together, I rush towards Shio and tell her to stop singing. She doesn't and continues to stare at Winter, seeming not to care that he is writhing in pain. That is, until he screams which is when Shio eventually stops singing. I turned towards Winter as I heard his scream and I instantly try to start up a private conversation with Sakaki on the radio.

"Is there a reason why you have connected to me and only me, Soma?" Sakaki asks.

"We've found Shio but something has happened to Winter! He - He's grown Chi-You-like wings!" I shout.

"Bring them both back here immediately!" Sakaki demands. I run back to Winter who is on his hands and knees, panting like mad.

"Can you walk, Captain?" I ask as I crouch next to him. I turn to see Shio, slightly glowing, walking towards us.

"Did Shio do a good job?" She asks. I don't have the heart to tell her that it wasn't a good job.

"Shio, help me bring Winter back to the Den." I inform her as she goes to the other side of Winter and puts his arm over her shoulder and picks her up. I do the same thing.

25 minutes later, we reach the laboratory and Sakaki tells me to put him in one of the rooms. I do just that and he also tells Shio to go into the other room.

"I must admit, with wings like these, how did you get him in here?" Sakaki asks me.

"Thankfully, everyone thought it was a fashion statement. But how the hell does he have wings?" I ask in disbelief.

"I'll need to take a sample before I can say anything." He informs me as we head over the the room that houses an unconscious Winter. Sakaki opens the door and, using a knife, cuts off part of Winter's sky blue, Chi-You-like wings which elicits a shout in protest against Winter who remains unconscious. Sakaki closes the door and immediately runs an analysis on it.

"While I analyse this you should probably keep Shio company." Sakaki tells me and so I head to the room which houses Shio.

Winter's POV

I awake in a familiar room, lying on my front. I sit myself up and see that I am in one of the rooms in Sakaki's laboratory. Seeing as how I can't find anyway to unlock the door from the inside, I knock on the door, hoping to be released. Sure enough, seconds later, Sakaki opens the door for me.

"Ah, Winter. You seem to be taking this better than I thought." Sakaki states with a smile on his face which is removed when I ask,

"Taking what better than you thought?"

"Follow me, Winter." Sakaki states and I follow him to a mirror that shows me everything above my midsection. _But I see wings._ I turn my head to see the wings before screaming in disbelief. I hear rapid knocks on Shio's room before somebody barges in through the laboratory door. It was Johannes.

"What is all the screaming about?" He asks before he sees me.

"Ah, Winter. I didn't expect to see you with that fashion." He says pointing at my wings.

"Oh, yes. I was surprised as well." Sakaki states, seeing a chance to cover up why I have wings.

"In any case, it doesn't look very professional. I suggest you remove them before we next meet." Johannes states as he leaves the laboratory. Sakaki then opens the door to Shio's room where Soma comes out.

"Oh, you're awake." Soma says matter of factly.

"I don't think I am." I respond which makes Soma smile.

'Yep, definitely not awake.' I think to myself as I see Soma's smile.

"Winter, I was informed that you grew those wings when on a mission with Soma. Once he brought you back here, I chopped off part of your wing so that it can be analysed. I see that it has grown back rather quickly. Anyway, I may know why you have grown wings." Sakaki states.

"So, this isn't a dream?" I ask which once again raises a small smirk from Soma.

"No, it isn't. But now, you look more threatening." He looks towards me with his arms crossed.

"If anything, I look more comedic than fearsome." I tell him.

"Anyway, I believe that Shio's singing has caused a dramatic increase in energy in your unique cells and this has caused a growth in the form of wings and, with training, you may be able to use these wings as if you were born with them." Sakaki states with a small smile on his face.

"So, you're saying, that I could be able to fly? That's insane!"

"I share his scepticism." Soma says.

"Well, we'll never know unless you train. You are able to feel with the wings as, when I cut off part of them, you had involuntarily reacted." Sakaki stated matter of factly.

"When I asked Shio about it, she said that she was awakening your inner monster." Soma said while facing me.

Sakuya's POV (Hours earlier)

"Security is growing tighter around here... That must mean I'm getting close. The core must be nearby. I can't see anything. What... Is all this?" I speak aloud and an alarm sounds. My surroundings glow red with the alarm before beams of light are shot towards me. I see that Alisa protects me with her God Arc's shield before switching into Gun Form, shooting and destroying something.

"Well, that was a little too close, I'd say." Alisa states.

"Alisa!" I shout surprised that she had followed me.

"I hope you didn't think you were just gonna leave me behind. No way in hell was I gonna let you rush in here alone."

"That's..." I begin, still surprised but the alarm stops and lights are switched on.

"Welcome to the Aegis. I had a feeling it would be you two. So tell me, what do you think? Are you crushed that it's nothing like the paradise you were sold? Hehehe. " Johannes begins as he comes into view.

"Director Schicksal... You lied. You deceived us for years... What is all this?" I ask him.

"Lindow must have found a way in, hm? I doubt you could have done it alone. It's such a shame. He had potential. Nevertheless, I have found someone better. Winter is twice the warrior he was. And I would have never found him had Lindow not perished. Truly a terrible day." Alisa and I run closer to him in anger,

"Don't you dare talk about him, you traitor! Or Winter! You're responsible for all of this!"

"No point in denying the truth. Dear Lindow had another master, and I couldn't risk getting bitten. There was too much at stake here. Too much to let him ruin it. He acted rashly, and too couldn't allow word of the Ark Project to break these walls, not without the key well in hand. Without control over the Devouring Apocalypse, there is no point to any of this. Aragami will purge this world, wreath in flame and death, and then, like the pheonix, allow it to rise again in glory! From birth, to death, unto birth. A complete regeneration. All species eradicated to the last. History rewritten in a searing flash of light. Save those on this Ark. They will be free from the end, each soul conveying humanity's DNA and our species' legacy into the new world. Unfortunately, this Ark can only carry so many. Space is precious, and time is growing more so. There are only so many berths into mankind's next it not just for the common to give their lives so the best may continue on?" Johannes asks rhetorically.

"You want to repopulate the Earth with your chosen people? You're more a beast than the Aragami!" I shout as him.

"Better than us, Miss Tachibana. It's a shame though. Hahaha! Such a damned shame. You both have gone and gotten yourselves crossed off that list, haven't you? Hahaha!" Johannes laughs villainously, "I'm terribly sorry but you cannot leave this place."

"Oh, were... Were you expecting something? I went out of my way to destroy all of your safeguards." Alisa says whilst walking forwards.

"Clever... And problematic. It seems I have no other option but to have you kill one another. I was hoping it would not come to this." Johannes states whilst looking to his left. We follow his gaze and see Alisa's doctor,

"It's been a while, Alisa. This is your fault. Wouldn't it have been easier to just slip into death? If that coma had lasted forever?" Doctor Oguruma says as he walks towards us yet still keeps his distance.

"Clearly you still have some passion. Why deny it? If you're so eager to kill once more, I'll gladly lend you a hand." Oguruma states.

"What are you... Wait... No!" Alisa responds.

"Odin..." I notice Alisa gasp.

"Dva!" She prepares her God Arc.

"Tri!" Alisa points her God Arc at me.

"Alisaaaaa!" I shout as I run towards her and she shoots me.

"Don't give in Alisa! Don't! You're stronger than this, stronger than him! You always have been! You didn't kill Lindow. You fought it then! This has never beaten you before. You have always been a fighter. So fight now! You have the power to protect those you love!" I shout as a bullet runs through me and I jump on top of her.

"Hahaha! Pretty words, Sakuya, but you must have lost your damned mind! Hahaha- What the hell?" Oguruma shouts as he notices Alisa and I get up from the ground.

"Sorry, hehe... Recovery Bullet." I tell him.

"Recover- Oh, hell..." Oguruma says as I fire a bullet to conceal our escape.

Winter's POV

After convincing everyone in the Den that the wings were just a fashion trend, Soma, Kanon, Kota and I headed into my room. There, I told Kota and Kanon the truth about my wings. They were surprised, but accepting. It is then that I see a request for a video message on my terminal from Sakuya. 5 minutes of her talking and I have been informed about what had happened on Aegis island. I also told her and Alisa about what happened on the most recent mission, that my wings were real. They were in disbelief but, in their words,

"We've seen more unbelievable things." Sakuya continued though,

"Anyway, so that's the truth... The Aegis Project, the Ark... All of sheet before you is the list of every eligible passenger approved to board the Ark. You will find each of your names on there. Anyone related up to the second degree can board that monstrosity and sail into safety. Of course, Alisa and I were struck from their number. We knew what would happen when we tried to infiltrate Aegis. If the Director's plans come to fruition, you'll be saved. And in a way, that makes me happy. But Alisa and I are fugitives now. Certainly as far as Fenrir and the branch are concerned."

"A lie... It can't be a lie. We put so much... So much faith in this! Aegis was meant to protect us. It has to!" Kota exclaims from my couch.

"I was never going to do what that tyrant commanded. Not like I'd be on the list. I'm half Aragami. They don't want me in their new world." Soma stated.

"I'm in the same boat. In fact, there are no human cells in my body. I'm a hybrid of the two. Not many humans have wings." I tell Soma.

"My family will be safe if we board the Ark..." Kanon mutters from my bed.

"Your name is there, Soma. He's the Director, but he's still your father. I don't think he can stop loving you." Sakuya states.

"Damn him..." Soma responds.

"I just want to be clear. I refuse to let this Ark begin its voyage. I refuse." Sakuya says.

"Me too! This isn't about lying or criminal charges or anything like that. This is just... Wicked! We're going to stay hidden, stay underground as long as we can before we strike at Aegis again." Alisa agrees with Sakuya.

"We... Wanted you all to know. I won't force you into anything. I think you should make up your own minds. And even if you choose to join with Schicksal, even if you fight against us, you are still our friends."

"But if you get in our way, we will tear you apart!" Alisa chips in.

"Alisa!"

"Joking, joking... Mostly. Still, I don't want to fight you, any of you. I hope you'll come to our side." Alisa states.

"We've been on too long already. We must disconnect. Think hard, and have no regrets" She disconnects and I turn away from the terminal. Soma leaves the room. I walk to Kota who is still sitting on the couch.

"I'm sorry... I already know I'll let you down. I'm going to board the Ark. Hey- At least I know, right? But for years, I've been banking on the Aegis Project. And now it's all smoke... Look, I have to keep my family safe. I made that decision long ago. I would do anything, anything in my power, to protect my mam. To protect Nozomi. That's why I became a God Eater. And that's why... I have to board the Ark. I have to." He finishes, looking at me and walking out of the room,

"I'm sorry." He apologises again before leaving. I move over to my bed which Kanon sitting on.

"My family needs to be protected and Aegis can protect them." Kanon states, already making up her mind.

"What about you?" She asks me, moving her head to look up at me. I see hope within her eyes. Hope that I choose the same option,

"I'm going to fight it." I tell her matter of factly.

"I thought you would say that." She moves her head back down, "Do you mind if I ask why you are going to fight it? Don't you have people that you care about?"

"Everybody that I care about is a God Eater. They can protect themselves." I tell her and she leaves the room with a small smile on her face.

2 hours later, I am called into Director Schicksal's office.

"Good day. Thank you for stopping by. I see you still have the wings on. I must admit it makes you look more threatening."

"Regardless, my plan is nearing its final stages. Gratitude of course is due to you and your predecessors. So, thank you. It is well earned."I march towards him, anger coursing through my veins.

"Oh, pardon, are you angry? Surely Sakuya and Alisa have contacted you by now? Shared their story? I can imagine how you feel. Plucked from your place of safety only to see your friends become criminals and traitors. And here you are... Wondering how I can so calmly strut around the Den, inspecting my troops as it were. I have no excuses to make. If you wish to cross swords with me. I am glad to oblige. Only but say the word. But before you make that decision, I need you to understand. The Ark project is the only way. It sounds bleak, I know, but it is the path to resurrect the planet. The path to preserve humanity. Indulge me in... A metaphor if you will." He walks towards one of his paintings.

"You're travelling on a voyage when a tempest strikes and your ship succumbs. You and one other survive. In the storm tossed seas, you see a chance at life in a floating plank. The plank cannot support you both. If it sinks, you both perish. Now then, the choice awaits. Do you push the other person aside, condemning them and grasping at the potential to save your own life? Or take the path of virtue? Sacrifice yourself so they might live. You should survive. Intelligent, strong, determined, you deserve to. In order to see humanity survive, and prosper, this is the only rational choice. My Ark will soon be completed. The tide is coming in. If you decide to join me, you must only do as I've asked. No one said you need smile for it. And if you succeed, well, I welcome you with open arms. All those who you love will be brought into the safety of the Ark. What will you do? Condemn yourself to a sinking ship? Forsake your loved ones, forsake humanity, and die in the waves. Or do you join me upon the Ark that will carry you to safety?" Johannes asks and I start to leave without giving him an answer.

"Oh, and if it matters, Mr Fujiki was in here not an hour ago. He took the boarding pass from my hands. I'm proud of that boy. Grown so strong, so dedicated to his family. You need not make up your mind now. Time yet remains before your die must be cast. We are but a few steps away. All that remains is the singularity. The final piece. I do hope we'll be united under the skies of my new world. Your ticket will remain." Johannes finishes and I leave his office and head straight to my room where I fall asleep in seconds. The following morning, I head to Sakaki's laboratory.

Entering Sakaki's laboratory, I see Soma and Shio are also present and I take a seat, watching Shio sleep on the floor. She wakes up and sits up.

"Good morning. I see you're awake." Sakaki greets her.

"Good morning." She greets back.

"Now then, is that Shio speaking to me?" Sakaki asks as he walks up to her.

"Why do you ask that?" I ask him but he just raises a hand for me to be quiet.

"Or am I talking to a God? She Who Will Devour the Stars?"

"I dunno..." Shio answers, "Do... Do stars taste any good?"

"I don't think so. And their worlds are no better. This one is drowning in so much filth. I can't imagine who would want it." Soma speaks up.

"Ah... Okay." Shio responds, "If this world is bad though, then why do I... Well sometimes... 'I need to Devour'" Shio says as she glows blue.

"We can get you food, don't worry! Quick! Food!" Sakaki shouts and I pick up the bucket of meat near me.

"Ah, food. Doctor, you are a good Doctor." Shio says before taking the food I offer her.

"How long is this gonna keep going? These little episodes of hers?" Soma asks Sakaki.

"You know about as much as I. She only recently started exhibiting human traits. But since that day she's been unstable at best." Sakaki replies, "There is a chance that it is her souls. Her duality is at war inside her. On the one side, her humanity, or whatever is closest, and on the other..."

"The singularity inside her." Soma finishes his sentence.

"Yes... Exactly." Sakaki confirms, "You've realised it already, I'm sure. It was those missions your father sent you on. The singularity is a part of her core. And without it there can be no Devouring Apocalypse, and no final days. I am not willing to hand it over to Johannes. Not until I am certain of what it is capable of. I know there is another potential inside of her. I... I can feel it. And I plan to test it, on way or the other."

"Listen, old man. I don't give a crap about either of your plans. And I'm not taking sides in this damned fight, so hear me now... If you think we're just strings to be pulled, then you're just as bad as him." Soma states.

"I assure you, your worries are unfounded." Sakaki states, "I have done nothing to Shio and I will do nothing. All she needs is company and companionship, as you've been sharing with her. And I think that, in time, she'll be able to-" Sakaki was interrupted by shaking and a power outage.

"Dammit! What was that?" Soma asks.

"I-I don't know. Well, worry not. The back up generator should kick into motion at any moment. Oh!"

"Doctor Sakaki, how nice to know where you are." A voice sounds over the intercom.

"No... No! Damn it all, no!" Sakaki clutches his head.

"What the hell is going on?" Soma demanded to know.

"The back up generator- I should have known! -It's only activated during emergencies... It's controlled by the Branch!" He exclaims as the lights turn back on, "It bypasses all of the extra security I've set around this room! They've found us!"

"We're completely exposed. Curse that bastard and his tricks!" Soma shares his outrage.

"Our cover's blown! We're done for!"

Time Skip - 1 hour

"Shio's been taken!" Sakaki informs Kota who had rung on his mobile,

"Is everyone still okay?" Kota asks.

"The 1st Unit is *static*"

"Doc? Doc?"

"We must rendezvous - gather at - Den - We must - after her" The line is cut off.


	27. Chapter 27

From the Start

Chapter 27

"Speech"

'Thoughts'

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Also, please leave a review.

Winter's POV

After Shio was kidnapped and we were put out of commission with knock out gas. I had awoken back in my own room. I immediately went over to Sakaki's laboratory where I met Soma.

"Damn! The old man's not here either. Where the hell did he go?" Soma expressed with anger in his voice.

"They took Shio, didn't they?" Came a female voice as the owner of it came up to us. It was Sakuya.

"I thought you guys were on the run. Looks like you ran back into the lion's den." Soma states, surprised at the presence of Sakuya and Alisa. I, too, was surprised.

"We figured you'd be lonely, so we thought, hey, might as well come and lend a hand." Alisa joked and flicked her hair.

"We've been hunting for another path into Aegis, but no luck there." Sakuya said with a hand on her hip, "They're so close to launch that they must've locked down the entire perimeter. There's no other way in." As Sakuya says this, Soma and I notice Kota walking up to us. He speaks up and draws the attention of Sakuya and Alisa,

"I think there might be. I'm not so sure. I think there's a tunnel leading there underneath the Den."

"Kota! I thought you turned on us. You and your family were gonna join the Ark." Alisa responded but continued at Kota's pained expression, "I... Sorry, I should have known better. Thank you."

"I'd hate to interrupt our reunion, but you were saying about an alternative entrance to Aegis Island, Kota?" I get us back on track.

"Come on, I think it's down here." Kota says whilst gesturing towards the lift. We all follow Kota and get into the lift.

"Yo, Kota, have you heard anything from Kanon?" I ask him.

"No, man. Sorry." He replies and we reach a floor I hadn't been to before.

We got off the lift and headed through the corridor. When we reached the end of the corridor, we were stuck with an obstacle, a sealed door.

"Grrrrgh! Damn! It won't budge without the key." Kota expressed.

"I guess it doesn't surprise me to find you all here." A female voice from behind us said as the owner walked towards us.

"I didn't think we'd run into you, Tsubaki." I say to her.

"That's Miss Amamiya to you, Captain." She said back.

"We have to find a way..." Sakuya started but was interrupted,

"Just, don't. I'm not here to arrest you. Who do you think I am? The whole region is in chaos now that the Ark is so close to completion. All those who had a seat... Already left."

"Well, what will you do then?" Sakuya asked.

"What I always do, I suppose. I will fix my little brother's crazy messes. And speaking of crazy..." She turns to Kota, "How did you know there was a path down here?"

"Well... Heh. Back when I thought they were building an underground residential section I tried to sneak a peak. I didn't know it was worth anything until now. Besides, the Doc told us in class that they were using this big ol' factory as a staging area for the Aegis. So I figured, 'Hey, how else are they gonna get it there?'" Kota answered.

"Hah! And to think, Sakaki was always fuming about you falling asleep in class. I don't know who to believe. I have the release key here. But be warned, if you're going over to Aegis, you'd better be ready. I only have one more thing to say, I'm proud of each and every one of you... Fight well. Now get your God Arcs and head over to Aegis Island." Tsubaki finished. We retrieved our God Arcs and headed to Aegis Island.

With everybody already boarding the Ark, it was a clear path to the centre.

"This place is..." Alisa began before Kota exclaimed,

"Holy crap, it's huge!" I look higher into the Aegis and see a few pedestrians. I also see a lock of pink hair.

"Kanon!" I shout and see the pick hair stop moving and a face appear from over the side of the wall.

"Guys?" Kanon shouts surprised. I missed the sight of her.

"Kanon, are you sure you want to do this?" I shout up to her.

"I- I- I- I..." She stutters, turning away in the process before turning back to us.

"Remember, Kanon, all of us are against this, so you're either with us or against us!" I shout up and see her move away from the wall and turn away from us.

"Kanon!" I shout up and see her pink hair remain motionless. I go to shout again but I hear her words, albeit barely,

"I have to do this, sorry." I see her pink hair move in the opposite direction at a rather fast pace. However, too upset to keep shouting, I turn to where we hear machinery and look for the source. In the centre, stood Johannes on a scissor lift and near him was Shio. We ran closer to them but as they were above us, we couldn't do anything.

"Shio!" Soma shouted.

"I only crave what is inside you. Give in, little thing, and surrender those precious tears... Time for fighting is past..." Johannes speaks to an unconscious Shio before he turns to us,

"You were so fond of this little monster, weren't you, Soma? Perhaps you saw something of yourself there." Soma growled.

"Foolish choice, my son. Very foolish indeed." Johannes states.

"Enough! You're no father to me. You can think yourself a saviour, but you're a traitor! Let Shio go!" Soma responds angrily. Johannes turns to Shio as she emits a sound and the area behind her glows a bright yellow which makes other areas in Aegis also glow the same colour.

"I've attained the singularity from within her. I suppose I have no further use for the vessel. Very well. She is free." Johannes states and releases Shio from her capsule. Hurtling, head first, towards the ground.

"Shio!" Soma shouts, drops his God Arc and sprints towards her. He fails to reach her in time and Shio's head comes into contact with the ground, breaking her neck in the process. Soma props her up onto his knee. At the same time, I hear a "no!" from a familiar voice and turn towards its owner. I see the owner of a familiar head of pink hair slowing to a stop near me whilst staring at Shio and Soma. She comes closer and hugs me.

"I'm sorry. If I had arrived sooner..." Kanon began, upset with the way things have turned out before I interrupted her and I hugged her back,

"It's not your fault Kanon. It's Johannes'. We couldn't have done anything to make sure this never happened." I tell her before letting go of her and turning to Johannes as he speaks,

"Long the road... Treacherous the road we have taken to come here. For years I have nurtured the Nova. Devouring only the traits it needed. For years I scoured the Earth, seeking burned out husks of ships that could survive space. For years I built and waited and prepared this journey. Now at long last... Now it all ends! The contest has been decided. I, the victor. Come on out, Doctor. Haven't you hid enough?" Johannes asks and Sakaki comes out of his hiding spot, heading over to the front, where I stand.

"We are too late. It is too far gone." Sakaki states.

"No! We tread the chasm, one mistaken footfall enough to send us down. Each day, thousands fall to the Aragami. They are but a match before the fires of redemption. Nova, the Sword of Damocles, shall swallow whole this wretched Earth! This world is already dead. When falls then the fateful blow? Minutes? Hours? Perhaps centuries? When it does, Aegis will be no shield to us, and I will not hide like a fawn before the hunter. I will bring this horror to bear. It is inevitable. And when controlled, the rest of us can survive to this next generation. Did you not have the same dream, Doctor? To use this singularity? Save you were begging it to hold back its divine flame."

"I wouldn't say that." Sakaki states.

"What does her mean, Doctor? You... Knew of all this?" Sakuya asks.

"I wanted to preserve the world, Sakuya. I knew I could. So I endeavoured to make an Aragami like us, safe like us." Sakaki said before he was interrupted.

"And that's where Winter came in." Johannes said which brought our attention.

"What does he mean by that, Sakaki?" I ask him.

"I'm afraid I haven't been entirely truthful to you, Winter." Sakaki states and turns around to me.

"You were his back up, Winter. And a strong one you were. You've even grown wings." Johannes interrupted again which alerted me as he knew that my wings weren't a fashion statement. I feel anger growing within takes all my strength to refrain from severely wounding Sakaki. Thankfully, Kanon noticed this and held me back.

"If I could prolong the state before the Devouring Apocalypse rose, perhaps then... But I hoped to create an autonomous intelligent Aragami." Sakaki began and Sakuya joined Kanon in restraining me. I was seriously pissed!

"I wish there had been another way. I held back information from all of you." Sakaki continued and I began t calm myself.

"This isn't why we're here. We're here to stop this." I repeat to myself as Kanon continues to keep a hod of me but Sakuya lets go.

"Of course. You dreamt of peaceful coexistence with monsters. You were never a scientist, Paylor, just a romantic with a fragile heart. You could have known it a fool's errand if only you had seen... In all of human history, when has such a being arisen? When has a human ever eschewed their instinct and remained autonomous?" Johannes questioned.

"Maybe never, Johannes. And maybe they never will. But dammit, I believe they can! You entered hell and abandoned hope long ago."

"You cut me, but the words are untrue. Do I doubt humanity? Do I think them weak and petty and pathetic? Yes. But there is one thing I know. Humanity will always strive to use their intelligence. They will strive to live. Our natural instincts are no different. Gaze into the mirror. We are Aragami, the Nova in different flesh. Our saving grace is our minds!" Johannes finishes. Seconds pass before Sakaki speaks up,

"For ages I have known that we could never come together. You've torn away Shio's core. That's your key, isn't it? You have your Singularity. You have your Apocalypse. And now I face this world knowing I have nothing else."

"I will not deny your cleverness, Paylor. Sending me to Europe, a desperate plea to buy time. But I had already won." Johannes speaks.

"Hahaha! Yes. I suppose you must have known about that. Time must truly have been on your side to have gone along so meekly." Sakaki responds.

"My friend, I have always known. Do not grieve as night comes... The singularity will rise like the dawn. It will point a way to a new Providence. The cycle of planets and life tied to the Wheel of Fate and Time. It is Divine Providence." Johannes states as an orange egg emerges from what looks like a claw.

"Who else would you wish to find at such a pinnacle? Who else could stand so in the new world? In any world? Only humanity. The truth... The only truth! We are above all. We... Hahaha! We ourselves have become the Eater of Gods." He says as the egg reveals two Aragami. One is a thin female and the other appears to look like a large chamber with a pink opening in the middle of its chest. Johannes, on the scissor lift, moves towards the Aragami and jumps into it, looking as if he has been swallowed.

"I admit, I was curious to see the outcome of that battle. Will Gods become human, or humanity turn themselves into Gods? Alas, I must admit defeat. Ah, no different from an Aragami, Johannes. No different than the creature you bred to destroy us. I never thought I'd turn to faith..." He turns to us, "Too much trust in what I could see and feel. But I have faith in you, God Eaters. In each and every one." He finishes as he walks away from us. I notice that Soma puts Shio down and heads over to us.

"Are you watching us, Lindow? We made it all this way because of you. And we won't give in now. Not when we still have strength left!" Sakuya said to motivate herself.

"All this time, I just wanted someone to make me a heaven. To protect my family, to care for my friends. I should have learned a long time ago that it was no easy feat. I guess I've only one option... I'll have to fight for it... I'll have to make it myself!" Kota motivates himself.

"You're right... And you're not the only one. Even I can come back, even I can fight. As long as I have you guys, I can do anything." Alisa states.

"I have a family to protect, I have all of you to protect. I will not fail!" Kanon says determinedly.

"Guys, sentimental speeches are all well and good, but we're a little short on time right now... Cover me!" Soma says as the Aragami looms over us, preparing to strike.

"Come rain, and storm. Come wind, and scream! You cannot hold this spring! In the tempest tossed seas, only one haven remains. But you are barred from Eden. Blink out like the stars!" Johannes exclaims as the Aragami attacks.

Surprising, not even 10 minutes later, the Aragami, and thus Johannes, had been defeated.

'That was surprisingly easy. All it took was about 50 attacks to the back of the beast with an opening in its chest. The Aragami has now been called Arda Nova.

"Fools... I won't fall to you... I refuse to fall!" Johannes says as the Aragami lifts back into he air, "You turned your back on power... On humanity! Blood traitors! Deceivers all!" The Aragami goes to launch another attack before falling to the ground, unmoving.

"Even now, even with him gone... We can't! There's no way we can stop the Nova!" Kot exclaims as the Aegis shakes.

"We have to... We have to!" Alisa shouts.

"There's got to be a way. I'm sure of it. We can't just surrender here." Sakuya states.

"Hehe... There is none. Nova has awoken. It will purge...it will consume... And it will begin again." Johannes states from within the Aragami.

"He's right. It's an impossible task we face. The process has already begun." Sakaki states whilst emerging from seemingly nowhere.

"There must be a way... Any way!" Soma exclaims.

"I wish I could make it all better, Soma, I do. Nova is an overflowing spring. The river has broken the levee and will drown us all." Sakaki states pessimistically.

"No, I won't let it!" Sakuya shouts.

"Winter..." Kanon grabs my back, avoiding my wings, "We'll be okay... Right?" I can't answer her and she justifies my silence as a "no".

"The stars will be reborn. The Aragami will end all things... There was nothing we could do after all, even from the start." Sakaki states.

"No. I will not hear this from you! I refuse to believe it!" Soma shouts angrily.

"You must hurry... Soma, you must go. Take your comrade to... To the Ark. Please... My child." Johannes speaks his dying words.

"Director... Director, no!" Sakuya shouts.

"Don't you see? There was never a place for me upon that ship... There was never a new world awaiting me... I tore the sky and rent the seas. I have no right to another. I can merely see it and are the final step. And no one better, Soma... No one better than you."

"Father..." Soma says almost emotionally.

"In the end, we could only search for answers, Aisha. We could find none. Forgive us this terrible war. Have we atoned for what we did? I think... We have tried." Sakaki states and Aegis begins to glow.

"Nozomi... M-Mom... I wanted to keep my promise to you. I wanted to come home." kota mumbles. We look over to Shio as she grows spikes from her body and a white circle forms under her.

"Shio!" Soma shouts. The yellow areas of Aegis pulsate and then switch off, causing all shaking to stop.

"Thank you..." Shio's voice sounds through the forehead position that Shio was once placed into.

"What?" Sakuya questions, surprised at the voice.

"Thank you... Thank you all." Shio speaks.

"It's her." Alisa speaks.

"Shio? Please, tell me it is you, Shio." Soma pleads.

"How could she maintain this? Her individuality, her humanity, it... It was absorbed by the Nova, taken with her core, it..." Sakaki began to ramble but he stops as the Nova rises.

"It's rising... Look, it's rising!" Sakuya exclaims.

"Shio... What are you doing? Answer me!" Soma demands.

"Look beyond the sky, Soma. Everyone. It's so big... Perfectly round... Hehehe... It's like a giant rice cake! Looks way tastier than this world, don't you think? Much, much tastier." Shio answers.

"To the moon... Shio, are you certain? You would take the Nova with you?" Sakaki asks.

"Shio, listen to me! She's still aliv, right, Doc? Right?" Kota questions.

"I... I don't know. But if she wasn't, then..." Sakaki answered.

"I know things. For the first time, I understand everything. All of what you taught me makes so much sense. All of what you taught me makes a... A person..." Shio's body begins to pulsate.

"Shio, please..." Kanon pleads, moving away from my back.

"To eat together with someone... To live... To live for someone... To die... To die for someone... And finally... To forgive someone. They take many shapes, they twist and turn and change, but... Everyone is a connection. You are bound to each other." Shio states.

"Come back here! Please, don't go! Please!" Kota pleads.

"I want to. I want more than anything to be with you. And that is why I have to say goodbye today. For now. Because I love you all. I love the forms you hold, as you are. Good job, Alisa?" Shio asks Alisa who I notice had collapsed onto the floor and is sobing with her hands to her face. I feel tears drop onto my back from Kanon.

"No! No... Not a good job. Not without you!" Alisa answers.

"Hehehe... I am sorry then. I know what you mean in your heart, my Alisa. Time is ever long, and never enough... Even though... I loved every moment I spent within it... Please... I need you to devour it...That form that was mine... That is mine... It's not ready to say goodbye."

"No way... We couldn't... We could never do that!" Kota exclaims.

"Soma... I don't know if it will taste any good. I hope it will be okay." Shio says to Soma.

"You can't do this! You can't make this decision alone! Shio!" Soma exclaims clearly distressed.

"We can't ever be apart, but we're always one." Shio states. I turn to Soma as he turns t me and see that he is in no position to move, never mind devour. I can see through his eyes that he is putting all of his energy into maintaining a calm façade. His eyes plead for me to devour Shio as he cannot. Following his unspoken wish, I move towards Shio.

"I'm sorry, Shio, but I'll take care of this." I tell her.

"Thank you, Winter." Shio responds and I devour Shio's previous form. I turn back to see that everyone else has their eyes fixated on me and I walk back to the group.

"I trust that we will see you again, Shio." I speak up, fully knowing that we will never see her again, but planting hope into the others.

"Of course." Shio says before Nova begins to shake and launch towards the moon.

"It's time to leave, guys. Shio has saved the world. It's our duty to do the same." I tell them and march forwards with everyone following behind me.

"Oh, and by the way, Paylor," I begin, "I know longer follow your orders. Not after you have been using me as a backup." He seems to accept this with a nod of his head.

And so ends the Johannes Arc and thus, the Lindow Arc begins.


	28. Chapter 28

From the Start

Chapter 28

"Speech"

'Thoughts'

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Also, please leave a review.

A lone figure wanders through the area known as the Tranquil Temple, clutching their arm and grunting in pain, crunching through the snow. The figure appears to have a claw in place of a hand with a chain wrapped around their arm. Th figure is wearing a brown trench coat with the Fenrir logo on the back of it with a few small spikes protruding through it.

Winter's POV

The world changed. Alda Nova awoke and tried to bring ruin upon this earth. In the ensuing battle, much of Aegis Island was destroyed. Johannes von Schicksal, once Director of Fenrir's Far East Branch, was caught up in the destruction. At least, what remained of him was. Aegis was destroyed, the Director killed in the following collapse. Or rather, that's what Fenrir said. That was the PR spin. The truth was buried, along with the Ark Project.

The wounds had yet to heal. Those who died were still being mourned. And yet life had to continue... Life has a way of... Holding on.

A person barged through my door and asked,

"Winter, what are you doing? I can hear you from outside." I turn to the person to see that Kanon was the one to ask the question.

"I am narrating the events that have happened in the Far East for future generations." I answer her.

"I thought he was doing a good job of it." Soma says as he walks through the door, "I could hear you from my room." Soma proceeds to lean against the wall.

"Oh, come on. You haven't took a break in a long time. How about we go to the Outer Ghetto?" Kanon almost pleads. I contemplate it for a while while admiring Kanon's pleading face. In the end, I couldn't refuse her.

"Okay then, shall we set out now?" I ask her.

"Just wait here. I'll need to get the passes from Hibari." Kanon exclaimed happily as she left my room.

"Don't forget, Winter, we have to face the new type of Aragami later." Soma says before leaving the room. I set about getting ready to go out which included hiding a few Cocoon Maiden spears in my clothing, in the vent that there is another break in. A few minutes later and Kanon comes rushing into my room again and rushes over to me. She shows me the passes with a large smile on her face.

"Are you ready?" She asks.

"Yep."

"Great! Let's go!" Kanon says happily as she grabs my hand and runs towards the door to the Outer Den, dragging me with her.

We enter the Outer Den and immediately, we draw the attention of the residents. Or rather, I draw the attention of the residents. It is not often you see a person with wings.

"You kind of get used to the stares." Kanon says sadly with her head down, "Although, it's probably worse for you. Being a God Eater and having wings."

"Are you saying that all God Eaters get the same treatment." I ask her, surprised.

"Yeah." She responds, still depressed. I try to change the topic of conversation,

"So what do you want to do?" I ask her.

"Actually, I want you to meet someone." Kanon says, raising her head with a smile on her face and walking forwards. I follow her. We walk past numerous shops and even walk past the restaurant we ate at a while ago. A few minutes later, travelling through rows of houses and not slums, and Kanon comes to a stop outside a rather large house.

"We're here." She says happily before grabbing my hand and walking through the door of the house.

"Mam! Sis! I'm back!" Kanon shouts and I hear footsteps.

"You took me to see your family?" I ask her as she lets go of my hand and spins towards me with a cute smile on her face.

"Yep!" She answered and another person came into my line of vision. She was smaller than Kanon but had the same colour hair, but not style. This girl appeared to also prefer her hair short.

"Hey, Kanon!" The girl shouts happily with a smile on her face which makes Kanon spin back around to face her.

"Kotomi!" Kanon shouts with the same happiness in her voice.

"So, who's your boyfriend?" Kotomi attempts to joke with Kanon.

"This is Winter. We've been going out for about 6 months now." Kanon says shyly and both of them look at me.

"um, hey." I speak up nervously.

"Oh my God! I didn't know you had a boyfriend! Mam... Have you heard that Kanon has a boyfriend?" Kotomi shouts and runs off to find her mother. I take this opportunity to lean my head towards Kanon's ear and whisper,

"You never told them that you had a boyfriend?"

"I was too embarrassed. Come on, we should follow them." Kanon says, taking my hand and walking forwards. We walk through the corridor and into the kitchen where we find Kotomi whispering with her mother. I catch a bit of their conversation,

"he has a weird sense of fashion..." Kotomi whispers to her mother before noticing that we have entered the room and turns towards us, causing her mother to turn towards us as well. I notice a little bit of surprise on her face and catch her taking a glimpse at my wings.

"Yeah, my wings, right..." I begin nervously, "Since you're part of my girlfriends family I can tell you that they are real." I tell them which gives them a surprise.

"There's no way that they are real." Kotomi stated with a serious expression.

"Do you need proof?" I ask her to which she confirms.

"Over the past 6 months since the Ark Project was destroyed, I had taken the liberty to training my wings. They aren't exactly suitable for combat as a Chi-You's wings are more for gliding towards a target rather than flying. However, I had trained my wings to be able to move. It's just a case of keeping them motionless in public so that people think that it is just a fashion statement. Everybody in the Den had found out that they were real once somebody discovered me training with them in the training room and told everybody. They had all flocked towards me to see if they were real and I showed them that they were. A lot of people call me the Chi-You of the Den now." I tell the two and move my wings. I curl them up and expand them to a full two metre wingspan.

"That is so cool!" Kotomi came up and touched one of my light blue wings.

"It took a lot of training but he finally managed to learn to glide as well. It's almost like he is a Chi-You in the battlefield." Kanon comments while looking at Kotomi feeling my wing.

"Can you stop that now?" I ask Kotomi but she just ignore me.

"Can you feel this?" She asks me and tries to tickle my wing.

"I can and it is annoying. Can you stop?" I ask her again. I turn towards her mother who appears to be fixated with my wings as well. I extend my other wing out towards her, giving her permission to touch my wing.

"Go on then." I tell her and she extends one of her hands out to feel it. She rubs my wing for a bit before stopping.

"oh, wow. Anyway..." She begins, putting on a bright smile, "I don't believe we've introduced ourselves. I'm Kanon's mother and the one that is playing with your wing is Kotomi, Kanon's sister."

"You can call me Winter." I tell her whilst ignoring Kotomi's 'can you feel this questions?'. Whilst Kanon's mother and I begin talking, Kanon goes over to Kotomi.

"So why are you interested in my daughter? I'm sure you know that she is the clumsy type." Her mother asks me.

"W-Well this is a surprise..." I begin nervously and rubbing my head, "well, when I was working with her to help with her friendly-fire problem."

"You helped her with her problem?" her mother suddenly asked.

"Yeah and she is now a part of my 1st Unit as she rarely miss-fires anymore."

"You even fixed it?" Her mother screams to me. "You must have the patience of a saint!"

"Actually, it didn't take long to fix..." I begin before I feel four hands on my wings. I turn my head to see that Kanon has also taken to feeling my wings.

"How old are you?" I ask Kanon.

"Oh relax. I'm not doing it for the same reason as Kotomi." And she continues to feel my wing.

"Then why are you doing it?" I ask her. She grows a large, suspicious smile on her face before saying,

"I'll tell you later." I would have expressed my distaste with that answer but her mother brings my attention back to her,

"Anyway, would you like to stay for dinner?"

"I'd love to but we have a mission scheduled soon. We'll stick around next time though." I told her, "Kotomi, please let go of my wing. I need to leave now." She reluctantly lets go and I take the opportunity to head towards the door, waiting for Kanon to say goodbye to her family. Minutes later and Kanon has finished with her goodbyes. We head back to the Den making idle chat but once we reach the Den, I prepare for my upcoming mission.

Soma, Kota, Alisa and I are now in a helicopter travelling towards our target in the Wailing Plains.

"So, what do ya think this new Aragami is like?" Kota asks.

"I don't know but we should prepare for anything." I tell him.

"We're at the drop off point. Everybody out." The pilot says as the helicopter hovers 20 metres over the ground.

"Right. Okay everyone, the Hannibal is our only target." I tell them before jumping out of the helicopter and locating the Aragami. Seconds later, I hit the floor and then hear the other three hit the ground.

"It's North East of here."I whisper to them and we all creep in that direction. 1 Minute later, we see the Hannibal feeding on an Ogretail. We take the time to spectate the creature and try to identify any weaknesses.

'Hey, wait a minute. That figure is very familiar.' I think to myself before remembering that I had once hid from a creature that was exactly like that.

"It looks like it's back will be a weakness." Alisa points out due to the exposed hump on its back and looks towards the other two.

"It's possible, but I think it's arms look like a weakness." Soma states looking at Alisa.

"Yeah but they're very close to its mouth." Kota points out turning towards the other two. I feel the three look at me as I continue to stare at the Aragami.

"Is something wrong?" Alisa asks.

"No, just thinking." I say before turning to them, "This Aragami uses fire as a weapon." I tell them.

"How do you know that?" Kota asks.

"I've seen one before." I brush off his question, "One of its attacks includes expelling fire from its mouth. We'll stick with the plan though." I say and we charge towards the Aragami.

15 minutes later and the Hannibal is down

"Well, it took a lot out of us but we've managed to defeat it." Alisa says exhaustedly. Soma proceeds to devour its core and I see that Kota is kneeling near its head and jbbing at its mouth. Soma finishes extracting its core,

"Stop poking it, Kota." He says.

"I'm just impressed. I mean, it's super rare right? We did pretty damn good for the first time fighting it." He responds and I begin to walk away as Alisa begins,

"Mission complete. Let's head back before we get roped into something else." Alisa also begins too walk away.

"Agreed." Soma simply states as he, too, begins to walk back.

"Hey, hold up! I wasn't done poking it yet. It's new!" Kota says turning his back on the Aragami.

"Seriously, Kota, you..." Alisa begins as she looks behind her, "No! Look out, behind you!" Alisa shouts and I turn around to see the Hannibal preparing to launch an attack. I rush forward and prepare my God Arc.

"The hell?" Soma shouts, hearing Alisa and seeing me run past him.

"What is it?" Kota asks before turning around. He sees the Aragami preparing an attack, "Whoa my god!" Kota braces himself but I run past him and deploy my shield, just as the Hannibal throws a punch in our direction. The force behind it is too strong and I end up flying into the air, hearing a "captain!" from Alisa. I land hard and my vision goes black but I can feel that my God Arc has broken.


	29. Chapter 29 - Attack on the Den

From the Start

Chapter 29

"Speech"

'Thoughts'

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Also, please leave a review.

Winter's POV

I continue to walk through the forest with a painful feeling in my stomach.

"So the mushrooms weren't edible then, haha" I chuckle quietly to myself. I had been walking for 12 hours straight and my legs were beginning to feel the effect. Lactic acid was beginning to build up in my muscles which was growing more and more painful over time.

"I need to find somewhere to rest and quick." I say quietly. After 10 more minutes walking, I see light emerging from outside of the forest. As I walk closer to the light, I see that it is being emitted from a town. I would have continued had it not been for the light from the town being emitted from numerous fire. I get closer to the town but still remain hidden in the forest. I hear numerous roars and, immediately I deduce these roars as being Aragami. I decide to bypass the town and continue to walk through the dense forest, ignoring the screams for help as I do so.

'What could I do to save them anyway?'

As I awake, I open my eyes and am met with the white washed walls of the infirmary. I move to sit up, it is painful doing so.

"Oh! Hi..." Came an incredibly high pitched voice to my left. I turn to see Alisa playing with her hair and Kota sleeping.

"I was so worried you wouldn't come back to us." Alisa continued.

"It's about time you got up. I knew you'd survive. Nothing short of a God itself is gonna take you down." Soma says whilst leaning against the wall opposite me before moving to leave the infirmary. He stops at the door as we all turn to Kota as we hear him mumble,

"zzz... Ngh! Twice the kitten squared... Zzz"

"I know you. You're gonna risk life and limb for people like him, and that's fine. Just be smart. We don't need another Lindow." Soma says to me before leaving the infirmary. Alisa turns to me with a smile on her face,

"He's glad too, just differently. We all are." Alisa says before we both turn back to Kota as we hear him mumble.

"Ear muffs don't work like that." Alisa turns back to me,

"Sorry, just one quick second." She begins before turning to Kota and slamming a fist down on his back, "Kota! Wake up, now!"

Kota wakes up with a scream, wiping his face and saying,

"I'm up, I'm up! I heard everything... We're all thankful, Soma's still weird... We're good. Well, all but your God Arc. That kinda got busted when you saved me."

"Yeah, I felt it break." I finally speak.

"Y-Yeah. Something happened when the Aragami hit. Licca was talking about damage to the core. She said it'd be a while before it's operational." Alisa said.

"Tsubaki was all thankful. She said something about 'paid leave'. I didn't really get it, but they're not letting you fight without a God Arc, especially since you grew wings because you have been fighting with Aragami materials. Don't worry, we haven't said anything about you continuing to use them." Kota says hastily.

"Good, but I'm stuck in the Den now." I say depressed that I can't fight with my Unit.

"Actually, you're stuck in the infirmary for at least a day. Sakaki said that you aren't allowed to move from this bed otherwise there will be consequences. But this gives you time to get some rest. You really do deserve it after all. You haven't taken a day off since before the Ark Project was destroyed."

"And hey, since this is my bad, I'll lend you all of Bugarally. The first season is rushed, but man it gets so good!" Kota says and I give him a nod.

"Attention, this is a priority message to the 1st, 2nd and 3rd God Eater Units. Report to the Director's office. The Hannibal combat briefing will begin in five minutes." Hibari's voice came over the intercom.

"Anyway, we'll be going now." Alisa says, dragging Kota away and telling him that I need my rest. Before she gets to the door, however, she turns back around and says,

"By the way, Kanon will be returning from her mission soon. Hibari contacted her immediately after you were sent here so she'll probably come here first." She takes her leave at that.

With nothing else to do, and not feeling remotely sleepy, I attempt to train my wings. I place my arms in front of m, lean my head forwards and close my eyes, exposing my back and wings. I curl my wings at first before flicking them back to their full wingspan. I do this a couple of more times before attempting to encircle myself with my wings. It is very hard at first but I eventually manage to cover my head and part of my upper body with my wings.

'If only they were longer.' I think to myself before hearing a voice.

"Winter." it was Kanon's voice. I let my wings flick back to their natural position and look towards the door of the infirmary to see Kanon there with a hand to her chest. I give her a smile as she walks towards me and says,

"I didn't want to see you in here again." She sits down next to me and takes my left hand into both of hers.

"Don't worry about it." I tell her, "The Hannibal had somehow came back to life after Soma removed the core. Nobody thought that would happen. So how did your mission go?" I ask her, changing the subject.

"It was against a few Ogretails and a Kongou but it took a long time to find them. But when we did, it was all like, bang! smash! crash! boom! And we totally annihilated them!" Kanon said enthusiastically.

"That's great! Who were you with?" I ask curiously.

"It was me and Gina. Gina is really good with her gun but I'm the best because I hit the Aragami with every shot."

"Were you having a competition?" I ask her.

"Well, it turned into a competition, and I won."

"Would Gina say the same thing?"

"Of course she wouldn't. She hates losing and will never admit it when she does." Kanon says with her lips pursed.

"Well, I know that you would have won. I'm the one that trained you, remember?" I say big-headedly.

"Yeah, but that was only for a few sessions. Anyway, why were you playing with your wings?" Kanon asks.

"I wasn't playing with them," I begin whilst beginning to encircle myself with them again, "I am training them so that I can have another shield to aid me in battle." I finish encircling myself and the release them back to their natural state.

"Oh, that will be useful." Kanon says happily, "Oh, I have to leave now. I need to report to Sakaki in the Director's office for briefing of your mission Have fun with your training." Kanon says before leaving the infirmary and I resume training my wings. Soon enough, it is late and I decide to go to sleep.

The next day, I wake up and sit up.

"Well, I was only supposed to be here for a day, so I guess I'm free now." I say to myself as I stand and leave the infirmary. I decide to head to the lower floor of the Den, where Hibari is, so that I can socialise whilst I'm on my enforced break. Once reaching the lower level of the Den, I attempt to start a conversation with Hibari when a siren blares.

"This is an emergency broadcast..." Comes a female voice over the intercom, "An Aragami incursion has occurred! Breach in God Arc Storage Warehouse 2. I repeat, there's been a breach. An Aragami is loose inside the Den! Converge on Storage Warehouse 2. This is not a drill!" Hibari rapidly types on her computer and tells me,

"The floor's going to be closed down and sealed off in five minutes. We need you to evacuate immediately. Any other floor will do. Who's closest, who's closest... Ah, the Defence Squad. Defence Squad, come in. Tatsumi, do you read me? Over." I see that Hibari gets no answer and decide to head to Storage Warehouse 2. I run up the stairs and to the lift whilst hearing Hibari screaming wait.

'How can I wait when I'm the only God Eater in the building? Someone could be in danger." I think to myself as I enter the lift and press the button for the Storage Warehouses. Once the lift has stopped, I rush down the corridor to the Warehouse and see that Licca is busy on the computer. She turns to me as she hears me enter,

"What are you doing here? You have to evacuate. I know you want to help, but you can't. And you can't charge in there and die if you don't have a God Arc." She starts locking the God Arcs but Lindow's doesn't lock. I run over to it as I hear her shout,

"Come on, as soon as I lock these up we're getting outta here." She notices that Lindow's God Arc hasn't locked,

"Stop, no! You can't! That's Lindow's God Arc!" Licaa shouts and I exteend my hand to touch it. I can't let go of it and scream in pain but I manage to lift it from its case just as an Ogretail rampages through the door and knocks Licca to the ground, unconscious. It goes to pounce on Licca but I manage to swing the God Arc and knock it down. I go for another swing but a pain shoots through my arm and through my wings. I use one of the to grab Licca and move her behind me. I also see sharp images in my head of different Aragami. I scream in pain again as the images begin to overwhelm me. I feel a bullet whiz past my head and I look up to see that it hit the Aragami. I turn my head to see who shot the bullet and see a young man holding a God Arc in Gun Form.

"You must stand!" He says as he shoots another bullet at the Aragami, "Quick, finish it now!" Taking the last ounces of energy from within me, I run towards the Aragami and swing the God Arc at the Aragami, killing it. I collapse soon after but not before hearing,

"Are you well?"

I feel myself beginning to awake and my eyes flicker open. I can see that boy from before as well as Licca looking over me.

"At last, you've awakened." Th boy says and Licca comes closer to me,

"You're awake." She sounds as if she was about to cry, "Thank goodness. You... You were crazy!" Licca almost shouts and I sit myself up. Licca chooses this moment to latch onto me.

"I... Oh, thank goodness you're all right. You have to promise me, okay? Promise me right now that you'll never do that again."

"I'm not sure if I can promise that Licca. If you or anybody else was in the same situation, I'd do the same thing again."

"The Oracle Cells could have Devoured you! I don't know why they didn't. They don't know you. They don't understand, a-a-and you could've died! And, and... And anything could have happened to you..." She lets go of me to regain her composure.

"I should... I should tell everyone you're awake. They've been in a panic ever since they got back. Especially your Unit." Licca says before leaving the infirmary. I hear her move through the corridor and stop near the lift. She begins talking. I would have listened had I not been distracted by the fact that I can hear that far.

"Licca really is something, isn't she? She's nice, gentle. Heh... She really knows how God Arcs work. How they tick." It takes me a while to realise that the guy next to me was talking and I turn to him.

"Oh! Sorry, I suppose I have not made a proper introduction of myself. I'm a new God Eater, only recently transferred. I serve with the Medical Unit. Call me Ren, it's a pleasure to meet the Chi-You of the Far East." Ren states.

"I didn't realise I was famous." I tell him.

"Oh, of course. You're the only God Eater with real wings. You do not think that that would bring you attention? However, I thought the database said that you had light blue wings."

"I do." I correct him.

"But, your wings are white." He tells me and I move my wings to see that they are, indeed, white."

"How did this happen?" I ask myself but Ren must have heard it,

"I think it is because you touched a foreign God Arc. It must have changed the cells within your wings." I hear the door to the infirmary open and turn to look at who is there. I see that Licca is leading the way, followed by Sakaki and Tsubaki and then my Unit.

"We have a lot to discuss." Tsubaki begins and she stands right in front of me.


	30. Chapter 30

From the Start

Chapter 30

"Speech"

'Thoughts'

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Also, please leave a review.

Winter's POV

Tsubaki stood at the end of my infirmary bed and with her usual stoic face stated,

"We have a lot to discuss." I decided to keep silent to let her continue talking, or she would have had Kanon not latched onto me.

"You're all right." Kanon says relieved whilst hugging my arm.

"You gave us quite the scare there." Alisa states while playing with her hair.

"That really was idiotic, do you know that?" Soma said with a stern look on his face.

"If I wasn't there then Licca might not be here right now." I stated simply which made everyone silent and turn to Licca before looking back at me.

"There was no other personnel within the building to save her." I continued.

"The fact is that you didn't know she was in there. You were heading straight for the Aragami." Tsubaki stated, stoically.

"Originally, you headed straight towards the Aragami. This changed once you noticed that Licca was there and therefore you had to save her. I'm saying that saving her was wrong but it doesn't change the fact that you shouldn't have been there to begin with." Tsubaki continued whilst reading from her clipboard.

"You were incredibly lucky." Sakaki began with his usual smile on his face. "You know of your condition and yet you held someone else's God Arc. The Oracle Cells should have devoured you. You're lucky to escape only with wing discolouration."

"Speaking of, you are to remain in the infirmary until further notice. Doctor Sakaki will require multiple samples from you to check on your condition." Tsubaki states.

"You will be supported with at least one member in your unit at all times. This is to report any abnormalities found. That concludes this discussion. The first member to watch over you will be Kanon." She turns her head slightly to look at Kanon who has taken my hand into hers.

"You will have the first shift. I'll send another member down once your shift is finished." Tsubaki states before leaving the infirmary, followed by Soma.

"Good luck buddy." Kota says before leaving.

"See you later, Winter." Sakuya says before also taking her leave.

"We'll leave him in your hands, Kanon." Alisa comments before following Sakuya out of the infirmary. I turn to Sakaki,

"I'll need some samples before I leave." he says as he walks closer to me,

"You don't mind, do you?" He asks.

"What will you need?" Ren asks next to me and I turn to him, forgetting that he was there. I turn back to Sakaki as he answers,

"Worry not. Just a blood sample and a sample of from your wings." Sakaki states turning to me, expecting my response.

"Go ahead." I answer his previous question and he sets up the equipment to extract some of my blood. At the same time that my blood is being withdrawn, he cuts off the tip of my right wing.

"Ow!" I say as the pain shoots through me. I feel a liquid drip from the wing and look towards it to see that my blood i pouring over my wing.

"I didn't expect that." Sakaki states before grabbing a bandage and wrapping it around the wound. I hear someone breathing sharply and see Kanon with her eyes plastered onto my wing.

"Take it easy, Kanon. I'm okay." I say but she still gazes towards the bloodied bandage on my wing. I move my left hand to grab her face and forcefully move her eyes away from my wing. I move her face so that we're looking each other in the eyes.

"I'm okay, Kanon. It'll grow back." We stare into each others eyes a little longer until she calms down.

"Well, I'm finished here. I'll be back with the results later." Sakaki states before leaving the infirmary.

Now, it is just the three of us, Kanon, Ren and I. Things are quiet for a while before Ren decides to speak,

"My orders were originally to report for duty tomorrow. Heh... Perhaps it was a stroke of fate that my arrival was moved up."

"I'll say. If it weren't for you, I may not have been so lucky." I say with a smile on my face, turned towards him. I turn back to Kanon as she asks,

"What's this about?"

"He helped me to take down the Aragami earlier. If not for him, things may have turned out differently."

"Oh." Kanon says simply before Ren continues,

"My speciality is military medical applications. I did, rather do, research into Aragami infection, prevention and curing. That is why I am so intrigued in the Chi-You of the Far East. They were not making light of the situation when I was told this branch was the front lines. I hope I'll serve well."

"I'm sure you will." Kanon says whilst smiling.

"Forgive my prattling, I believe that you need rest. Why don't you lay down? Take a respite. Feel better soon." I take his advice and lie down.

"Yeah you should get some rest." Kanon agrees with Ren and thus I decide to sleep.

I awake the next day and see Soma sitting at my bedside.

"I didn't think you would be at my bedside."

"Shut up.I didn't do this willingly, all right." He responds. Another 5 minutes pass without a word from either of us before Soma decides to speak up,

"Something's been bothering me for a while now."

"Oh?"

"How do you remain so professional? When we first met, you didn't let Eric's death get to you. When Lindow told us to leave, you remained professional. When Sakuya got angry at you, you remained professional. Even when you took care of Shio on Aegis Island, you remained professional."

"Every team needs someone who can remain calm in every situation. In our team, that would be either me or you. But leaving Shio was harder for you than anyone else. You were stuck with grief despite the fact that your face showed no emotion. I knew you wouldn't be able to take care of Shio. You knew that as well, that's why you turned to me."

"But there will be a time when you can't be calm. And if I don't know how to be professional then I may not be able to remain calm either." Soma replies hastily.

"There will be a time when that happens and we both know the time that it will happen. You just need to prepare everyone for it." I tell him, knowing that the time I will not be able to be calm is when I die. A few more minutes pass before Sakaki enters the infirmary.

"Ah, Winter, I have the results of your blood test." Sakaki states solemnly.

"Great, well don't keep me waiting."

"It appears that touching Lindow's God Arc has caused increased activity in your cells."

"What does that mean?" Soma asks.

"I'm not quite sure yet, but it is similar to the readings of the previous test we had before you grew your wings."

"And what about the wing sample?" I ask.

"Well, that's the strange thing. There has been no change in the activity of your wings. But that does not explain the colour change. Anyway, you are free to leave the infirmary but, since you do not have a working God Arc, we cannot allow you out of the Den."

"Oh, right. Well, I'll see you both around." I say and move to leave the infirmary.

"Not so fast..." Sakaki's words make me stop and turn to him, "Tsubaki wants to see you near the Den's Gate."

"Right, I'll go there now." I tell him and leave the infirmary.

As I get off the lift and walk onto the upper level of the Den, I see Tsubaki and three others. One of them I recognise to be Ren. I walk over to them and Tsubaki takes notice of me.

"We have some new recruits joining us today. Both are fresh out of training, but received high marks as New Type God Eaters."

'Both? But there are three people there.' I think to myself.

"I've been assigned to fight with the 2nd Unit, I believe. I'm Annette. Annette Koenig. It's a pleasure to meet the Chi-You of the Far East." Annette greets me.

"My reputation exceeds me." I smile but greet Annette, "I'm Winter, leader of the 1st Unit so we may not see each other very often." The boy next to her straightens up as he greets me,

"And I've been brought into the 3rd Unit. Federico Caruso's the name. It's an honour to meet you, sir."

"At ease, Federico. Call me Winter. I must say though, you both speak excellent English." I turn to Tsubaki, "Has Sakaki given them the communication translators?"

"He has." She answers.

"Ah, that explains it." I say and look to Ren who just gives a smile with a tilt of his head.

"Being our very first New Type God Eater, I was hoping you could keep an eye on our new students, y'know, show them the ropes. You cannot go out into the field so you can train them." I nod in response.

"It's a pleasure to serve." Annette and Federico say together and Ren nods his head.

"Excellent. Rookies, fall in and report to Dr. Sakaki for your medical fitness exam. You will attend training with Winter at 15:00, am I understood?" Tsubaki asks.

"Yes ma'am." Annette and Federico say and proceed to the lift. Tsubaki turns to me,

"I don't want you to ever do anything like that again, am I understood?" She asks me.

"Actually, I..." I try to speak but she interrupts me,

"Am I understood?" She repeats. I see that she wants an answer to my question and so I simply state,

"I have news regarding Lindow..."


	31. Chapter 31

From the Start

Chapter 31

"Speech"

'Thoughts'

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Also, please leave a review.

Winter's POV

"I have news regarding Lindow..." I said plainly and noticed Tsubaki's stoic look begin to crumble.

"Explain." She demanded but kept her professional façade.

"When I touched Lindow's God Arc, I believe I resonated with it. I had seen images of multiple Aragami and I heard Lindow as well." I tell her.

"You heard him?" She asks, her mask slowly rotting.

"He's alive, Tsubaki. He's alive, but he's in pain. I could see the world through his eyes. And it hurt." I tell her all I know. She takes time to regain her composure before saying,

"I'll report your findings to Doctor Sakaki. Remember, you are to train the new recruits at 15:00 so until then, you are free to do as you like in the Den." Tsubaki says before leaving towards the lift. After deciding on what to do next, I decide to find Licca so that I can enquire about my God Arc. The first place I decide to try is Storage Warehouse 2.

Upon arriving at Storage Warehouse 2, I look towards where my God Arc would be held to find that it is not there. I walk further towards it, unknowingly drawing someone's attention with my footsteps.

"Looking for your God Arc?" A feminine voice rings through the Warehouse. I turn towards its source to find Licca standing in front of an opening in the Warehouse, cleaning her hands with a rag. I walk towards her,

"Hey, Licca. Yeah, I am looking for my God Arc." Licca finishes wiping her hands and tells me,

"Your Arc suffered substantial damage in the fight against the Hannibal. The core was almost destroyed. Luckily, I was able to repair it with most of the Hannibal core that Soma extracted but it's still not in working condition yet. I'm actually working on it right now. Do you wanna see its process?" She asks me.

"Yeah, sounds like a plan." I answer and we head down the opening that we were standing at. We soon arrive in a room that holds many crafting materials.

"What is this place?" I ask, curiously.

"This is where we craft God Arcs and other materials." Licca says as she moves towards one of the desks that holds a God Arc on. As we get closer to it, I notice that it is my God Arc.

"Well, here it is." Licca says, "It will take a while but it should be completed within the week."

"That's great but would you mind if I create stuff in here? There is not enough space in my room." I ask Licca, hoping to create new weapons out of the Aragami materials I have.

"Yeah, that sounds cool. You can withdraw items from the machine over there," Licca raises a finger to point at the machine in the corner of the room.

"Great! Thanks, Licca! I'll get to work now." I thank her and move towards the machine she pointed at. I put my arm into one of the slots of the machine to connect my Armlet to the machine. I then proceed to select some of the materials, including 10 lots of Avian wings, limbs, masks, claws and flesh as well as the arms of the Ouroboros that I killed months before destroying the Ark Project and a few Emperor wings. Using these materials, I had crafted a weapon that looked like a sword. The Emperor Wings provide the blade, the Ouroboros arms provide the whips and the Avian equipment provided the design of the God Arc to be a Chi-You blue colour as well as part of am arm wrap so that I can always have the sword attached, even if it is not in my hand.

"That's quite the imaginative weapon there." Licca comments as she gives the weapon a look over.

"The greatest of inventors have the greatest minds." I tell her and she agrees.

"You know, we could use your imagination in creating new God Arcs. When you come to create your own equipment, would you mind if me and the Maintenance Team ask you about things regarding God Arcs?"

"Not at all." I reply to her, "Well I should be going now. I need to get to the Training Room for 15:00."

"Well, it's already 14:55 you should hurry and get there." Licca says whilst checking her watch.

"Right, thanks Licca." I thank her and, carrying my weapon, make my way towards the Training Room.

I enter the Training Room to find Annette and Federico waiting in the middle of the room.

"Jezz, it's about time you showed up." Annette says in an annoyed tone.

"Yeah, sorry about that but to be fair, it isn't even 15:00 yet." I reply and see Federico step forward.

"Ignore her, we've only recently gotten here ourselves." He says which puts Annette in a mood.

"Well, back to business. I'm going to start you off with four Ogretails." I tell them as I walk towards the machine that spawns the Aragami in.

"Four? But we're beginners!" Annette screams and Federico seems to agree with her.

"I'm not doubting your judgement but don't you think that four of them is a bit too much." He says nervously.

"Nonsense, this will be perfect for your first training session. If you don't kill them within one minute then I will be expecting you to repeat this session. Got that?" I ask them.

"But four..." Annette begins before I interrupt,

"Great! Let's go!" I start the simulation and four Ogretails appear from the ground. Annette immediately starts to slash at the closest one whilst Federico appears to be calculating their movements. Well, either that or he is too scared to attack and is keeping his shield up to hide from them all. Once Annette had finished with the Ogretail she was attacking, she started hacking at the next closest one. Meanwhile, Federico is still on the defence. Soon after Annette takes out the Ogretail and moves onto one of the two that Federico is defending against. Finally, Federico decides to use his God Arc's Gun Form to attack the Ogretail in front of him. Eventually, all of the Ogretails are dead.

"Good work, however, it wasn't without flaws." I began as I walked towards them. "First of all, Federico, you need to be more aggressive. You can't wait that long to fight. Annette, good work in taking care of most of them but you should use your God Arc's Gun Form as well. You also need to communicate, that is the most important thing. Right, well, it took you 2 minutes and 30 seconds so you're doing it again." I tell them and walk back to the machine.

"This time, I want Annette to use her Gun Form and Federico to use his Melee Form. Again, complete it in under 1 minute. Ready? Go." I say as I press the button to generate the Aragami. Of course, I am met with more complaints but I ignore them. This time, it takes them 3 minutes to complete the simulation.

"You took even longer this time. Try using both, the Melee Form and the Gun Form. Now begin."

"But we're exhausted." Annette complains.

"Well, I've already pushed the button." I say as the Ogretails reform. I see that Annette and Federico collapse to the ground, tired from their work. I decide to kill the Ogretails myself with my new weapon. Remarkably, it only takes 10 seconds as I kill each Ogretail with one hit.

"Wow! That's amazing!" Federico comments.

"Yep, and with training, you could do the same. Anyway, I can see that you two are exhausted, you can go back to your rooms now." I say and all three of us leave the Training Rooms. I see Tsubaki waiting outside,

"Winter, can you stay here for a moment?" She asks and I decide to stay.

"How did they do?" She asks.

"Annette is too offensive, Federico is too defensive, they don't communicate and they can't use their God Arcs to their full potential." I state plainly and met with a surprised expression from Tsubaki.

"Well... Maybe I should let you train all of the new recruits." She smiles before walking away.. I decide to head back to my room to get some rest.


	32. Chapter 32

From the Start

Chapter 32

"Speech"

'Thoughts'

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Also, please leave a review.

Winter's POV

When I awake the next day, I contemplate on what to do for the day.

'I could spend the day with Kanon. Hopefully she doesn't have a mission. If she does though, then I guess I could craft some stuff. Tsubaki will probably want me to teach the new recruits though.' I think to myself whilst staring at my black ceiling.

'Actually, I haven't checked my terminal for a long while.' Thinking this, I decided to move over to my terminal, still dressed in yesterday's clothes that were beginning to smell putrid.

'After this, I need to change my clothes. These definitely need washed.' I tell myself and power up the terminal.

"Let's see... I haven't checked any of the new Aragami descriptions, I'll check that first. Right so Hannibal is first."

 _Hannibal_

 _A new species of Aragami first discovered at the Far East Branch. It looks like a dragon and can regenerate without a core. Its martial moves and ability to form weapons with fire is strangely similar to human behaviour. The dorsal hump contains large amounts of fire attacks when damaged. Destroy the head or bracer on its left arm to lower its defence for a sure win._

"Well I could have told you that." I speak aloud, "I'll check the Arda Nova next."

 _Arda Nova_

 _A gigantic human-form Aragami built by Director Schicksal under utmost secrecy. The technology for controlling the Bias Factor was adapted from God Arcs, resulting in its moniker, the 'Human God Arc'. It is comprised of two bodies, one a goddess, the other a god._

"I wonder how many he built before perfecting it. It may be a case of finding more of these Arda Novas at some point. Anyway, I haven't checked my emails in a very long time, so I'll check them next." I speak to myself as I click on the 'Mail' option.

"100 new messages! Well, I guess that happens if you don't check them regularly." I skip through most of the older messages as I deem them unimportant.

"Oh, a message from Kanon."

 _Subject: That First Love Juice thing._

 _Message: Have you tried it yet? I took it out on my mission the other day to try it out when I needed a drink but then..._

 _It felt like the Aragami came closer to me._

 _...Was it just my imagination?_

"I'll have to try it out at some point." I check through a few more emails, only to find that quite a lot of them were about the First Love Juice drink that Sakaki made. There were also a few emails from the new recruits. Two of them were just greeting themselves to the whole of the Den but Annette sent me two emails.

 _Subject: Winter_

 _Message: How do you expect me to be training with Winter? In our first session, he sent us up against four Ogretails! FOUR OF THEM! He expected us to kill them within ONE MINUTE! Then when we didn't, he put us up against ANOTHER FOUR OF THEM! He expects too much of us! Please talk to him about this!_

I then read the other email that she sent me,

 _Subject: FORGET ABOUT THAT EMAIL._

 _Message: That wasn't meant to be for you, please forget about it!_

"Oh, Annette, we're gonna have fun in training." I say while devising a scheme in my head.

5 minutes later, I decide that I have sent enough time on the terminal and move away from it.

'Now it's time to change into something... Better.' I think to myself before choosing a black T-Shirt and black trousers. I cut out two holes in the back of the T-Shirt for my wings.

"Time to put these into the washing machine." I say to myself as I pick up yesterday's clothes, put them into the washing machine in my room and I turn it on.

"Now, I can head to Hibari to see if Kanon is on a mission or not. Looking at the time, it is safe to assume she is, but you never know." I leave my room, lock the door and proceed to the lower levels of the Den.

Arriving at Hibari's desk, I try to start a conversation with her but she notices me,

"Oh, there's the person that ignored all my orders and nearly got himself killed." She says matter of factly with her hands on her hips. I stare at her, unsure if she is being serious. Luckily, she wasn't,

"I'm just joking. I'm glad you did what you did as it saved Licca but don't do anything like that again!" She scolds me.

"Of course, Hibari. By the way, do you know where Kanon is?" I ask her.

"She's out on a mission at the moment." She says before adopting a playful tone, "Why? Are you missing your girlfriend?"

"Yeah, actually. We haven't really done much."

"What have you done?" She asks, still with her playful tone and face.

"Went shopping, went around the Outer Ghetto and visited her family." I list the events.

"Well, what about taking her to see your family?" Hibari asks.

"They are no longer around."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that." Hibari looks depressed at that but her face suddenly lights up, "Have you tried kissing her yet?" She asks. I decide to walk away without giving her an answer but I can hear her giggles in the background as I walk to the lift.

I decide to head to God Arc Storage Warehouse 2 so that I can check on my God Arc and maybe even build a new weapon. Once I walk into the Warehouse, I notice that my God Arc still isn't where it should be and so I decide to go to the crafting room that I was working in yesterday. Upon arrival, I notice that Licca is already hard at work with welding a blade and so I decide to get straight into work, myself. I walk to the machine and synchronise my Armlet with it. I choose to get a few Kongou materials and see if I can make anything with them.

2 hours later and I haven't been able to create anything with them and I decide to put down the materials that I held in my hand.

"Yeah, I don't think you'll create anything with those." Licca says and I turn to her.

"How long have you been there for?" I ask her curiously.

"Enough time to see you struggling." She says before inspecting the materials,

"You know, if you add 1 Blaze Knight Prickle and 1 Anathema Armor you should be able to create an upgrade."

"What's an upgrade?" I ask.

"You attach it to your God Arc and it gives certain effects, this one would give you the ability to jump whilst already in the air."

"Doesn't that defy the laws of gravity?"

"Hey, don't ask me, I just make them. I have no idea how they work." Licca says.

"How would I be able to create one?"

"Here, let me do it. You can watch so that you can do it next time." She says and takes a seat. She picks up the Kongou materials before telling me to extract 1 Blaze Knight Prickle and 1 Anathema Armor. I give her the materials and she gets to work. 10 minutes later and she has completed the upgrade.

"There we go... Just about... Done!" Licca exclaims and holds the upgrade in her hand.

"Wow, that's pretty cool! So, how do I attach it?" I ask.

"Well, it is attached to the lower part of your Armlet so I'll need you to lift your arm up." I do as she says and she attaches it to my Armlet.

Thanks, Licca!" I thank her for making my upgrade and attaching it. "I'll have to try it out on my next mission."

"Speaking of, you should be able to return to the field tomorrow. Your God Arc is almost fixed it should be done later today."

"Great! Thanks! I owe you one!" I exclaim happily.

"Yeah, you do. Just remember that." Licca responds happily.

"Well, I'll let you get back to work." I tell her as I leave, stopping at a vending machine on the way out.

'They've got that First Love Juice here? Well, hopefully Kanon is back so I can give her one.' I think to myself as I obtain two cans of First Love Juice.

I continue walking through the corridor until I enter God Arc Storage Warehouse 2 and when I do, I notice that Ren is in front of Lindow's God Arc. I walk over to him and offer one of my cans. He turns towards me and takes the can,

"Hey, I was watching you train them yesterday, good work. My thanks, This is the drink that everyone speaks well of? First Love Juice or something?"

"Yeah, although not everybody likes it." I decide to open the can and take a drink, he does the same.

"This actually tastes okay." I say and take another gulp.

"This is... I-I mean, I certainly didn't... It's delicious!" He exclaims happily and takes another gulp before turnning to Lindow's God Arc.

"So... This is Lindow's Arc, isn't it?"

"Yeah, how did you know?"

"Well, I've... I've fought alongside him before. We've been in a few combat situations together. That's how I know." He answers me but he looks slightly panicked.

"That was... Rather cruel of him, wasn't it? To leave you all the way he did. He charged off alone,. It was... Foolish." He continued.

"You seem to know a lot about how he disappeared." I begin thinking to myself that Ren knows more than he lets on.

"It's just rumours." He says before extending his arm to touch the God Arc. I reach mine out and grab hold of his arm to stop hi from touching it. However, I see a video of events playing through my mind and I drop the can I was holding in the other hand in shock.

 _(Flashback to Chapter 12)_

 _"Sakuya, i'm ordering you. Get them back safe, please. Don't let them die." Lindow exclaims desperately._

 _"No! I won't leave you!" Sakuya says._

 _"Kota!" I shout grabbing his attention, "Sakuya isn't going to come back willingly. We need to drag her with us. Can you do that?"_

 _"Of course." Kota responds and grabs her by the arm. Forcefully taking her with us._

 _"Thanks Newbie!" I hear from the other side of the rubble. "Don't let anyone die!"_

 _"You got it!" I shout and run after them. Coming to her senses, Sakuya starts shooting the Aragami._

 _"Soma, Kota, Sakuya! Cut us a path! I'll provide healing bullets!" I command, taking leadership of the group since Sakuya wasn't in the right state to do so._

 _"Right!" Is the collective response from the three._

I hear the five of us running away but I do not move with them. I deduce that this is Lindow's perspective as I see a dead Prithvi Mata soon after. But then I see Lindow, propped up against the rubble.

"I think they got away." He says and takes a puff of the cigarette in his hand before A Dyaus Pita jumps into the Church. Lindow sighs,

"Seriously, can I have like... Five minutes? Don't know how long I can do this..." He takes another puff of the cigarette before throwing it away and climbing to his feet. I see Lindow fighting the Dyaus Pita and Lindow clutches his arm as his Armlet breaks. I hear his pained scream before he says,

"That was on me... I admit that," and he plunges the God Arc into the Dyaus Pita's mouth. The Armlet follows the God Arc. As Lindow screams in pain, I see a fiigure standing and watching. It was Shio! She jumps down and takes a look at Lindow before somehow making the Dyaus Pita move away from the two of them. Lindow collapses soon after. The video in my head then cuts to the Tranquil Temple where I see Shio patching up Lindow before running to the opposite corner of the room as Lindow holds his arm with a pained scream.

"What is... What is all this?" He turns his head to look at his arm, "Is this... Mine? M-My... My arm... This... This can't be my arm..." He says while flexing it and finally passes out.

"Ngh... I'm freakin' starving..." Lindow says as he regains consciousness. Shio repeats this,

"I'm... I'm f-freakin' starving?"

"Huh? N-No... Not it. I'm... Hungry." Lindow says, correcting his language in front of his saviour. Shio, once again, repeats this. Lindow writhes in pain, holding his arm as it begins to glow a dark purple colour. Shio takes his Aragami arm into her hands and it glows a light blue.

"You... You brought me... Th-Thanks. Thanks a lot. Lindow says before passing out.

Suddenly, the video memory stops and I hear the can hit the ground.

"What's wrong? Are you..." Ren begins as I still have a hold of his arm. I let go and think to myself before running out of the Warehouse and running towards the Director's office in hopes to find Sakaki, the Acting Director, there.


	33. Chapter 33

From the Start

Chapter 33

"Speech"

'Thoughts'

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Also, please leave a review.

Winter's POV

I barge into Sakaki's office and notice that Tsubaki is present.

"What is the meaning of this?" Tsubaki asks with a stern expression across her face whilst I wait for my breath to come back to me.

"Lindow didn't die..." I say before taking a few more deep breaths. The two of them wait patiently for me to continue.

"I had another resonance; it showd me that Lindow didn't die. A Dyaus Pita had broken his Armlet and Lindow attempted to kill it by plunging his God Arc into it but the Armlet went with the Arc. It didn't kill the Aragami though but he was rescued by _someone_." I emphasise whilst looking directly at Sakaki, hoping he would get the message.

"This _someone_ had take Lindow away from the Aragami and attempted to heal his injuries. That's where the resonance ended."

"That is indeed a resonance, you describe. It should be unique to New Type God Eaters. And you say Lindow yet lives?" Sakaki questions.

"This is the power from before that brought Alisa out of her coma? Are you certain? I mean, it's all rather far-fetched." Tsubaki questions the legibility of my visions.

"Still, thank you for coming to us. I trust you were discreet with the others?" She asks.

"I haven't told them yet and I don't plan to until we get more evidence that he is still alive." I answer her, picking my words carefully.

"Good thinking, It wouldn't do to get their hopes up only to plunge them back into despair. I'm not sure if..." Tsubaki trails off.

"Only one thing to do. The first order of business is to investigate the area you saw in the vision. Around the old temple, I believe?" Sakaki asks and I nod in confirmation.

"Now, tell me everything you remember about Lindow. If he's lost Armlet control, his situation could be very grim indeed." Sakaki states.

"Well, other than what I have told you, I guess the only other thing is that he appears to have an Aragami arm." I inform him.

"So he is already infected? Well, I'll need something of his to link the signal. I'll need to ensure that it's him. We will have to take every possible precaution. It's crucial that the infection does not spread any further. I hereby grant you permission to leave the Den. I will inform security..."

"Do you think that is wise? His God Arc is still in for repairs." Tsubaki asks.

"He has fought without a God Arc before, and I trust that he will return unharmed." Sakaki states, looking at Tsubaki before turning to me, "I want you to investigate the area in your vision. See if you can find any evidence of Lindow's existence. You may leave." Sakaki says and I leave his office. I decide to head back to the crafting room in God Arc Storage Warehouse 2 so that I can obtain the weapon I was working with yesterday. After that, I head to my room and equip myself with Cocoon Maiden Spears. I then head up to the roof where I enter one of the helicopters and I tell the pilot my destination.

Upon arrival, I tell the pilot to pick me up in exactly one hour and jump out of the helicopter. When I land, I can hear the Aragami and they sound very close. I sneak behind a wall and the Aragami's roars get louder. I poke my head out from behind the wall to see a tank-like Aragami feeding on another Aragami's corpse. I take a while to survey the area to ensure that no other Aragami are around. I sneak up towards the Aragami and as I creep within 5 metres of it, it doesn't notice me.

'If I can destroy its missile pods then I will have the advantage.' I think to myself and jump. I try the upgrade out and do a mid-air jump which brings me level with its missile pod. It must have heard me jump though as the Quadriga stands but too little, too late as I swing my Aragami weapon at one of its pods. Surprisingly, my weapon cuts straight through the pod and I hear the Aragami scream in pain before trying to open the missile pod. This distraction gives me time to go around the other side where I slice the missile pod off of the Aragami as if it was made of paper. It screams in pain again as it assesses the damage on its pods.

'Now, if I remember correctly, a Quadriga's core is located in the exhaust.'I think to myself as I run around to the front of the Quadriga. It finally notices me and begins to charge. I double jump to evade but it goes right under me as I fall. I land on its back and it doesn't notice a thing. It looks around trying to locate me but soon gives up and walks back to its meal. I, silently, climb to my feet and walk along its back.

'As soon as I walk in its head it will feel me, so I will need to do this quick.' I think to myself as I reach the start of its back. I run straight across its head where it sharply raises its head, throwing me into the air. I get my weapon ready to slash at the exhaust oce gravity brings me down. Sure enough, a second later, gravity pulls me down and the Quadriga looks up.

'Perfect.' I think to myself as I manage to cut off the entire exhaust and thus removing the core from its body. It crumbles to the ground, unmoving, and I move away from the Quadriga and towards its exhaust that landed several feet away. I pick up the core and notice that it is still alive.

"I wonder what I can make with a live core." I say aloud before pocketing it and heading in the direction of the old temple.

Several minutes later, I enter the old temple and head for the upper rooms. It seemed very tranquil and majestic as if untouched by the outer world. After searching a few of the rooms, I come across one that looks exactly like the one that Lindow was in during my vision. I walk inside and find that almost everything was where it was in my vision. I walked to the position that I had seen Lindow sitting at. There wasn't any evidence that he had been sitting there, however, after a bit of searching I found a few black feathers. Unsure of whether my findings proved Lindow's existence, I pocketed the feathers and continued with the search. After another 30 minutes of searching, I deduce that there is no other evidence that Lindow was here. I decide to leave the temple with all of my hopes lying on the feathers.

I arrived back at the Den and headed straight to Sakaki's office. I gave him the feathers and told him to tell me if there was any more news. I then went to the crafting room in God Arc Storage Warehouse 2 where I found Tsubaki. She had asked me if I had found anything and I gave her the hones answer of "only feathers". After that she told me to head to the training room where Annette and Federico would be waiting. That's where I am now. I enter the room and see the two of them waiting in the middle.

"We've been waiting here for hours, you know." Annette says, annoyed at my late arrival.

"Sorry about that, I was only just informed that I would be training you again. Anyway, I'm sure _you're_ excited to start training, am I right?" I ask her, reminding her of the email she sent me.

"Should I put you up against _four Ogretails_ this time?" I ask rhetorically with a large smirk on my face. She stays silent and I ask the both of them,

"Do you know what a Cocoon Maiden is?" Federico answers,

"It's the Aragami that is rooted to the ground, isn't it?"

"Yeah, it is. How many stationary Aragami do you think you can both take on?" I ask them, knowing that they do not know about the Aragami's attacks.

"Well, if it doesn't move, then I'd say 10 of them." Annette states with her voice becoming more high pitched. Suddenly, I get an idea.

"How about we make this a competition? Whoever gets the most kills will get a big prize, how about that?"

"Yeah!" Annette exclaims, excited about the prize.

"Okay." Federico lacks enthusiasm.

"Okay then." I walk towards the machine where I set the simulation up so that there is no limit as to the number of Cocoon Maidens that appear. The simulation will only stop when I press a button to abort it.

"For every kill you get, you get 1 point. Every time you are hit, you will lose 1 point. Tell me, have any of you researched into this Aragami?" I ask them.

"No." They respond in unison which makes me grin sinisterly.

"Well, good luck." I say before pressing the button to start the simulation. At first, only two Cocoon Maidens appear and they both take one. They both swing their God Arcs at their chosen Cocoon Maidens before four more appear. The new Cocoon Maidens notice the two God Eaters and prepare to unsheathe the spikes.

"By the way, brute force isn't going to work against a pack of Cocoon Maidens!" I shout as they eventually notice the other Cocoon Maidens. They notice too late, however, as the Aragami unsheathe their spikes where it plunges into the two of them. Of course, since this is a simulation they don't actually get hurt but they may be shocked. I decide to stop the simulation and walk over to them. I was right, they do appear to be in shock.

"It's amazing how quickly your life can come to an end when facing Aragami." They look towards me with scared expression as I tell them the truth.

"The fact is, it is crucial to research into the Aragami you will be facing."

"But you didn't tell us what we were going to be facing!" Annette shouts after regining her composure.

"You should have researched into the Aragami the moment you became a God Eater. It is not my fault that you decided to neglect the information on the NORM database. This session is over. You will both research into the smaller types of Aragami for our next training session. I will put you up against all of the smaller types of Aragami so be prepared for it. We may even have a competition since you both failed to kill one Cocoon Maiden today." I inform them and leave the room. It is there that I run into Tsubaki.

"I like your training methods." She informs me with a small smile across her face before turning serious,

"Sakaki wants you to go to his laboratory immediately." She says before walking into the training room. I decide to head over to Sakaki's laboratory.

When I enter, I see that Sakaki is sitting at his computer and typing things very quickly.

"The DNA from the feathers matches Lindow's. We will announce tomorrow that the search for Lindow is back on. I just wanted to inform you of that. You may leave." Sakaki states simply and I leave the laboratory.

'That was quick, I wasn't even in there for 5 minutes.' I think to myself before heading to my room so that I could rest for, what will be a loud day tomorrow.


	34. Chapter 34

From the Start

Chapter 34

"Speech"

'Thoughts'

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Also, please leave a review. Sorry for the late update, I'm running out of ideas. I don't want this Fanfic to just be about the main points in the story. Feel free to give me some ideas.

Winter's POV

The next day, I awake to an announcement from Hibari which was to inform me to meet with Tsubaki in front of the Den's Gate. I promptly put on my Battle attire before moving to the meet-up point. It was a quiet journey to the lower levels as there was nobody out in the halls and this was explained when I got to the Den's Gate. I seen everybody from my Unit and the 2nd Unit. Their discussions stopped once I arrived and Tsubaki began with,

"It's about time you showed up" whilst looking at me before turning to address everyone.

"I am here to report that DNA testing confirms our suspicions. Lindow Amamiya is still alive. As of 1200 hours today, the search ad rescue operation is active once again." As Tsubaki says this, there are whispers amongst her audience. I pay attention to a few of them without making it obvious that I am disregarding Tsubaki.

"He's still alive?"

"That's one tough God Eater."

"There's still hope." I decide to listen to Tsubaki again in case she brings up something that I was not aware of.

"He is alive, and no one is more joyous than I, but we must remain careful and cautious. If you come into contact with him, remember, the infection may have spread. Please bring him home. Bring my brother back. If anyone has even a shot at this, it's all of you." Tsubaki finishes with a tinge of despair in her voice.

Once Tsubaki had finished, my Unit had gathered together. There was a small vibe of happiness coming from the group. Even Soma appeared to emit a small vibe of happiness although, he probably wouldn't admit that he was happy.

"Isn't it great guys. Lindow is still alive." Kota started the conversation

"Yeah, I never thought I'd see him again." Kanon said before looking to Sakuya, panicked, "Sorry Sakuya."

"Don't be, I thought that I'd never see him again either." She said with a small smile.

"Yeah, me too." Alisa chipped in.

"I'd hate to ruin the mood but we still need to find him." Soma spoke up.

"I'd hate to be the bringer of more bad news but his Aragami infection may have spread." I add, using Tsubaki's words.

"Yeah, it just means that we need to find him quicker. And here's my idea to find him quicker, 'The Lovely Lindow Luring Line-up'." Kota says with a smile on his face.

"The wha?" Alisa questions.

"The Lovely Lindow Luring Line-up. Lindow is a ladies' man, right? So we get some lovely women and search for Lindow." Kota happily answers. Alisa doesn't look very impressed,

"This is why you'll never be in charge." She says with a serious face before flicking her hair.

"Oh, come on, it's a great plan!" Kota made frantic gestures before turning to me,

"You like my plan, right?" Alisa turns towards me as if expecting me to reject his mission plan. I rub my chin to draw more suspense.

"You're not seriously considering it, are you?" Alisa asks me with an incredulous look on her face.

"Yeah, you're right, Alisa, I don't need to consider it." I reply to her before turning to Kota

"It sounds like a great plan!" I give him a thumbs up.

"I know, right!" He says happily before leaving to go to Hibari's desk to arrange the mission.

"Urgh, boys..." Alisa says before flicking her hair up and walking away. I notice that both, Sakuya and Soma had disappeared at some point and decide to see when the mission Kota scheduled is for.

I walk to the ledge that peers over Hibari's desk and overhear Kota talking to Hibari.

"We're gonna need a really big squad. I'm going to go and recruit people now." Kota says before walking to one of the women on the lower level of the Den. I notice it is Annette.

'Well, I'm going to see if Licca has finished my God Arc yet.' I think to myself before taking the lift to the God Arc Storage Warehouse level, walk through the corridor and enter Storage Warehouse 2. I look towards where my God Arc should be located and find it there, looking brand new. I notice that Licca is standing next to it as well. She must have heard me walk over to her as she says,

"It took a while but it is better than ever." She turns towards me, "I took a page out of your book and installed Whips made out of Ouroboros Arms and Tentacles, just like you did for your make shift God Arc."

"I've got to thank you, Licca, it looks amazing."

"Yeah, it does. And it'd be a shame if it can't be used, so, don't die."

"I'll try not to." I respond.

"You have so many people that rely on you, that care for you. We want to see you alive." Licca says before leaving with a sad expression on her face. After she leaves, I think about what she said whilst looking at my improved God Arc.


	35. Chapter 35

From the Start

Chapter 34

"Speech"

'Thoughts'

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Also, please leave a review. Sorry for the late update, I'm running out of ideas. I don't want this Fanfic to just be about the main points in the story. Feel free to give me some ideas.

Thanks for the suggestions CrimsonAegis!

Winter's POV

Minutes later, Hibari had made an announcement informing me to get properly equipped and to meet the rest of my team on the roof. With Licca nowhere in sight, I went to the machine located at the other end of the row of God Arcs. Once there, and after fiddling around with the machine, I unlocked my God Arc, retrieved it and headed to the roof.

When I got to the roof, I noticed two helicopters that were ready for lift-off. I walked towards one of them and the other leaves. I jump into the helicopter and see Kota, Gina and Annette, with the girls wearing revealing outfits. I turn to Kota,

"So, is this our team?" I ask.

"Only part of our team. The rest is in the other helicopter."

"How many people are on our team?" I ask him.

"Well, other than the four of us, there are Kanon, Alisa and Sakuya. Apparently, they're too embarrassed about their get-ups." He answers. I turn my head towards the two girls,

"And you two want to wear them outfits?" I ask incredulously.

"What's wrong with my outfit?" Annette shouted and I look towards her. I notice that she is showing quite a lot of leg skin as she is wearing a variation of her usual outfit. The skirt is short and it appears that her shirt was too small for her, with it revealing her stomach and showing how big her breasts were.

"Do you really want to know?" I say rhetorically before turning to Gina. Taking in her outfit was an overload to brain. Anyone could have considered her get-up as a swimming costume. She is wearing very short shorts that only covers half of her thighs thus revealing everything below. Her upper half was even more revealing though, as she wore a shirt that showed off her cleavage.

"You like what you see?" Gina asks, catching me stare at her. She snaps me back to my attention and I take a seat next to Kota, which just happens to be opposite Gina.

"We can go now." I say to the pilot and closing my eyes. Not wanting to look at the provocatively dressed girls in front of me when I already have a girlfriend. I hold my eyes shut and try to focus on something else.

"Come on, don't you want to look?" Gina whispers into my ear, forcing me to open my eyes and see that Gina is right in front of me, or rather, her chest.

"Sit back down, Gina!" I say, slightly panicked, but not revealing it. She moves away, possibly to observe my reaction.

'It's getting harder and harder to look her in the eyes' I think to myself before leaning back to look at the ceiling.

"Please remain seated." The pilot states, noticing that Gina had stood. Seconds later, I hear the air being squeezed out of a seat, suggesting that Gina had taken her seat.

The rest of the ride was quiet but we soon reached the landing point. Opening the door to the helicopter, whilst still being in the air, I noticed that there were already a group of people on the ground.

"Looks like the others got here before us. Come on, guys, let's jump." I say, making sure that my God Arc is with me before jumping. I land on the ground after a few seconds and grab the handle of my God Arc, preparing for battle. I look at the rest of the team as I hear Gina, Annette and Kota land. I instantly notice that Sakuya's usual attire has gotten shorter, Alisa's outfit is the same as usual only it is white and Kanon's outfit is similar to her usual one. Only, there has been a section removed from her outfit, making her cleavage noticeable. It's not too revealing, but it leaves the imagination open for things like this. I catch myself staring at her, luckily she wasn't looking at me, and it appears that so did a few others.

"Pervert." Annette said before walking away from me.

"Pervert." Gina said in a more sultry way.

"So, Kota, what's the plan?" I ask him, desperate to change the topic of conversation.

"Well, we just rally around for a bit and hopefully Lindow will show up." He answers happily.

"Very well thought out plan, Kota." Alisa says sarcastically.

"Well, I suppose it could be training for Annette. She hasn't been out on the field as much as we have." Kota says, not quite getting Alisa's sarcasm.

"Good point." I say before walking closer to Annette, "Well, now's your time to show off." I clap her on the back, "Show us what you can do."

"Right." She says simply before we all head off in the same direction. Everyone, barring me, shouts "Lindow" every once in a while but I know that this method will not work. But when people do shout, but when the girls shout, it gives me a chance to drink in their appearance.

After a few hours of walking around the City of Mercy, the Tranquil Temple and the Wailing Plains, we finally find an Aragami. It's a Zygote with a different colouration than usual. Annette rushes towards it immediately whilst the rest of us stand on guard, should she need any assistance. A few minutes pass and the Zygote has been defeated.

"It took you three minutes to defeat one Zygote, that's abysmal." I tell her as she walks back to us.

"What?" Annette and a few of the girls in the group shout.

"I hate to agree, but he's right." Sakuya says matter of factly which earns her a few stares.

"Even Kota, an Old-Type, defeated his first Zygote in only one minute. That's three times faster than you." Sakuya continued.

"What? You can't compare me to an Old-Type!" Annette shouts.

"Oh, right, sorry. Alisa, how long did it take you to fight your first Zygote?" Sakuya asks Alisa.

"47 seconds." Alisa says as she twirls her hair with her fingers.

"Yeah but she was specially trained... What about Mr. Chi-You over there?" Annette asks, pointing to me.

"Well..."

"He's been fighting Aragami since before he was a God Eater." Kota interrupts.

"Yeah but if we count it from when he became a God Eater, I'd say it was no less than 15 seconds." Sakuya adds, successfully surprising everyone else there, barring me.

"And now, it takes one strike." I speak up.

"How the hell did it take only 15 seconds?" Annette shouts.

"It was difficult but if you hit the eyes first, then it is very easy. Isn't that right, Alisa?" I aim my question at her, attempting to make her remember about how I solo'd a Vajra. She stares at me confused for a few minutes before looking down as she remembers.

"I still don't know how it only took 1 minute for you to kill that Vajra." She mumbles but just loud enough for everyone to hear. Suffice to say, Annette was shocked about that fact.

"There's also the time that you fought off 12 Ogretails and 3 Vajra when the Outer Ghetto was infiltrated." Kanon chipped, happily, in as she rushed over to me and hugged me from behind. I could feel her assets pushing against me.

"Please keep training me, Winter." She states politely and gives a small bow.

"Anyway, we should keep moving." I say, stepping ahead of the rest of the group, forcing Kanon to let me go.

Several hours and the occasional Aragami later, we decided that the mission had failed and proceeded to head back to the Den. Unfortunately, all of the helicopters were being used so we had to walk all the way back. We attracted a lot of attention when walking through the Outer Ghetto. It's not often that seven God Eaters have to walk back from a mission. A few of the rumours that I had heard included me having a harem and that we had just slaughtered a massive Aragami. Eventually though, we arrived back at the Den where we put our God Arcs away and each went our separate ways. When I arrived in my room, I fiddled around with a few things on the terminal before retiring for the day.


	36. Chapter 36

From the Start

Chapter 34

"Speech"

'Thoughts'

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Also, please leave a review. Sorry for the late update, I'm running out of ideas. I don't want this Fanfic to just be about the main points in the story. Feel free to give me some ideas.

Thanks for another suggestion CrimsonAegis!

Winter's POV

The next day, I wake up to an announcement from Hibari telling me to report for mission briefing. I put on my Battle attire and leave for the lower level of the Den. Once there, I meet Kota, Alisa, Sakuya, Kanon, Gina and Annette in front of Hibari's desk.

"Are you ready for the Lovely Lindow Luring Line-up Phase 2?" Kota asks me with his hands on his hips.

"You mean we're doing it again?" I respond with a question of my own.

"Of course we are. Now, everyone, get your stuff ready, we'll be leaving in 10 minutes!" Kota shouts to the whole group and we all disperse.

After we had all dispersed, I went back into my room to grab a different attire. After all,

'if the girls can look good on the missions, why can't I?' I kept the Battle Trousers on but changed into my sleeveless Petunia Shirt. After changing my attire, I collected my God Arc and headed for the roof. The blades on the helicopters are not spinning, suggesting that not everybody is up here. I headed towards the closest one and jumped in.

"Yo! Looks like we're in the same helicopter again." Gina says and I sit opposite her.

"Seems that way." I take in Gina's attire and notice it is, somehow, more revealing than before. Her top covered her stomach but it only covered about 25% of her breasts, revealing all her cleavage.

'She's not wearing a bra!' My thoughts screamed out at me and I turned to face the wall. I hear her giggle.

'Dammit! My face must be red!' I think to myself before giving my face time to relieve its redness. I turn back towards her once I was sure the redness subsided and I see the perfect opportunity to annoy her, although my redness comes back.

"Cold out here?" I ask and she stares at me with a confused face. Seconds later, she notices my expression before looking down and noticing.

"Pervert!" She shouts playfully before moving and sitting down next to me.

'Oh God, this won't end well.' I think to myself as she wraps an arm around my neck. I pull away but she uses her arm to pull me back.

"You've seen mine, why can't I see yours?" She whispers into my ear before moving her hand to take off my shirt. I pull away from her and move to the opposite seats. She follows me though.

'I'm going to have to wait for the rest of them outside of the helicopter.' I think to myself before moving to leave the helicopter. Gina attempts to pull me back as he grabs my top. I grab the doors to the helicopter as she pulls with all her strength but I launch myself out of the helicopter. I land outside of the helicopter and instantly feel a cold draught. I turn back to see that Gina had ripped my shirt off.

"Winter! What is the meaning of this?" Comes a new voice and I see that Sakuya's angry expression whilst it looks like Kanon, who is next to her, is about to cry.

"This isn't what it looks like!" I say in a panic and turn to Gina, "Tell them what happened!" Gina just retreats further back into the helicopter.

"Bitch!" I shout as she leaves me to explain what happened.

"She was grabbing my shirt and I tried to leave but she was following me and she was pulling on my shirt as I jumped out of the helicopter." I say, still panicked. Kanon holds back sobs as Sakuya comforts her.

"Were you two even listening?" I ask but they move to the other helicopter. I hear Annette's voice from the other helicopter,

"What happened?"

"This isn't going to be good." I say before re-entering the helicopter, glaring at Gina as I sat opposite her. She just smirked.

"Don't worry, she'll get over it." Gina says, trying to comfort me.

"It's your fault I'm in this mess." I say back to her.

"What mess are you in and why are you shirtless?" Alisa asks as she enters the helicopter and sitting next to me. I didn't even care that her outfit showed more under boob than usual.

"Gina decided to pull my top off and I jumped off the helicopter shirtless. Now Kanon and Sakuya probably think that I am cheating on her." I state matter of factly.

"Well, I'm sure she'll get over it." Alisa says and I turn to her as she says that. I notice that she has her eyes locked onto my body.

"My eyes are a little further up." I state as she moves her head up and notices that I caught her staring at me. She turns a little red as she says,

"I wasn't admiring your body. I was looking at all the scars. The ones I can see look very old as they are faint..."

"Pervert." I turn away from her as I feel the helicopter lift off.

"Kota got onto the other helicopter, so it'll just be us three." Alisa says, trying to change the subject.

"So we'll meet them there. Were are we going to first?" I ask.

"We're going to the Abandoned Carrier first." Gina speaks up.

The rest of the journey is a quiet one until I hear the pilot telling us that we've arrived. I jump out of the helicopter straight after I heard him. I land and see that nobody else has arrived yet. I hear two more people land and head for a huge stone nearby which I sit on, waiting for the rest of the team to arrive. Alisa and Gina wait with me. About 5 minutes later, we see the helicopter coming closer to us. It takes another 10 minutes before they land. Kota heads towards me but the girls that were with him, Kanon, Sakuya and Annette, stay back and give me the evil eye.

"You ready?" He asks with a plain expression and so I answer him with the same expression,

"Yeah."

"You lead, Kanon behind and the rest will follow." Kota states.

'He must be trying to help me sort this out with Kanon.' I think to myself and say,

"Sounds like a plan." I walk away from Kota and take up residence at the head of the pack with everyone else falling in line behind me. After a couple of minutes, I try whispering to Kanon,

"Kanon, about the earlier situation.."

"I heard what you said when we were on the roof. I know you wouldn't do anything like that but it will take me a while to forget." She whispers back.

"Holy hell! Large Aragami dead ahead!" Annette shouts which alerts the Aragami and comes walking towards us.

"Any idea what it is?" I ask Sakuya, being the most experienced.

"None at all, it is new to me." She answers.

"Right everyone, this is a new Aragami so be ready for anything!" I say to the whole pack. I turn back towards it as it comes to a stop about 100 metres away from us. It's almost like a stand off. I take in the appearance of the Aragami. It was a massive four legged Aragami that had blobs of jelly on its body. It also had two horns at the front as well as the body of a large chested woman.

"This is not how I wanted to see my first pair of boobs." I mutter silently and get a sharp smack on the head from Kanon.

'Dammit. She must have heard.' I think to myself while self-consciously rubbing the back of my head. The beast comes charging at us.

"Split off!" I command and I slash at the jelly filled sack as it runs by us. I hear Alisa and Annette charge towards it head first and it rears back before oozing a purple liquid. I jump to avoid the, what I assumed poisonous, liquid but the Aragami spins itself on the liquid and its leg swipes me out of the air. I land, hard, but I promptly get back up as I see it charging towards me with an electrical current located between its horns. I jump out of the way but the Aragami suddenly stops and unleashes the electricity in a 20 metre radius, hitting me in the process.

"Ahh!" I scream as the electricity courses through me and I find myself unable to move from the ground. Once the Aragami finishes its electrical attack, Kota shoots the woman's body on the beast and it moves towards him. I attempt to pick myself up but find myself unable to do so. I notice Sakuya come by and erect a healing pillar which gives me the energy I need to pull myself up and get back into the fight.

"Be careful next time." Sakuya says before running further towards the Aragami. I, too, run closer to the Aragami and start slashing at the jelly sack under its tail. After a few hits though, a Gboro-Gboro's head pops out and releases multiple balls of ice. Luckily, I put up my shield just in time to avoid being hit.

"Argh! Am I doomed to uncover all of its secrets by being attacked?" I say rhetorically as I am pushed back several metres. I move my target to the jelly filled sack on its leg that I was attacking earlier. After a few hits, I break it but I hear Kanon shout,

"Look out for its tail!" I see the tail of a Borg Camlann being swung towards me and I manage to jump over it with only milliseconds to spare. Once I land, I get back to swinging my God Arc.

After another 10 minutes, the Aragami finally falls and Kota extracts its core.

"Well, I think that's enough for one day." Annette says with her hands on her knees, panting.

"Yeah, I didn't expect to run into a new Aragami." Alisa says, sitting on the ground to get her breath back. I notice that I am not immune to being at a loss of breath either. It takes me less time than the others to get my breath back though.

"Yeah, we'll call it a day. I'll call the helicopters." I say before radioing to Hibari and asking for the helicopters. 30 minutes later and the helicopters arrive. I decide to get into the same helicopter as Kanon which just so happens to be the same as Gina's and Sakuya's. Gina and I tell them about what happened which earns both of us a slap of the head by the person sitting next to us, Kanon for me and Sakuya for Gina. A few minutes of silence later and Gina brings up a subject I wanted to avoid,

"So, Winter, how did you get those scars?"


	37. Chapter 37 - Snap!

From the Start

Chapter 37

"Speech"

'Thoughts'

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Also, please leave a review. I'm running out of ideas, feel free to suggest some - you can do this by reviewing or giving me a message.

Winter's POV

"So, Winter, how did you get those scars?" Gina asks.

"What scars?" I try to play dumb. I notice that Sakuya looks towards me with a stern look but she does not say anything.

"Don't play dumb, the scars that Alisa noticed when she was sitting next to you." She replies. I see that she, as well as Sakuya and Kanon, have taken to looking to my torso to try to locate the scars.

"Y'know, I didn't bring this up before but I noticed that you had a lot of scars on your back as well." Sakuya says with a hint of concern and Kanon pushes on my shoulder in an attempt to turn me around to view the scars but I stay strong and avoid being pushed. For a little extra protection, I use my wings to wrap around my body to hide any scars that might have been noticed.

'Smooth move, Winter. Now they're sure to be suspicious.' I think to myself but Kanon's worried voice takes me away from my thoughts,

"Winter, why are you covering yourself?"

"Well, it's not nice to have everyone staring at your body." I tell her matter of factly.

"Why not? You've got nothing to hide, right?" Gina asks with a sly smirk on her face.

"If you tell us how you got those scars then we won't need to continue looking at your body." Sakuya says, comfortingly.

"I need to." Gina said and I just decide to ignore her. The rest of the trip to the Den is silent, with the girls waiting or me to speak or uncoil my wings. When we land though, I am the first one off the helicopter but the three girls are right behind me. I hear them whisper about something and I turn my head slightly to see that Sakuya is beckoning for the others, who had landed before us, to come over. A few seconds later and the others have joined us and the whispering started again. I hear a sharp gasp from Annette and she runs in front of us, looking as if she is in a mood. She gets into the lift and leaves without us, leaving us stranded on the roof until the lift comes back up.

"Now!" I hear Sakuya shout and they grab onto my coiled wings and try to force them apart. Three of them on each wing. As they attempt to uncoil my wings, I use all of my strength to keep them together.

*SNAP*

Kanon's POV

When I heard about Winter being littered in scars I looked towards him for a better look. Luckily he was sitting beside me in the helicopter and it isn't very strange for your girlfriend to be looking at their boyfriend's body. I seen a few almost faded scars before he coiled his wings around his torso.

"Winter, why are you covering yourself?" I say worriedly, trying to give him a guilt trip so that he'd uncoil his wings. He didn't though and he remained silent for the rest of the flight.

'It's obvious that he wants to keep it hidden but why? What happened for him to be covered in so many scars?' I think to myself throughout the remainder of the flight. Once we arrived on the roof, I noticed that Winter almost sprang too his feet in order to get out of the helicopter. I got out straight after him and attempted to catch up but the other two held me back from walking alongside him.

"Listen, it's obvious that he's not going to talk or show us his scars so we need to force him to uncoil himself to see how bad it really is." Sakuya whispered and I remained silent. I must admit that I am curious as to his condition.

"Yeah, but we're going to need help. I doubt that the three of us could pull on his wings with enough strength to unwrap himself." Gina says as she notices that Sakuya had noticed that the others had landed. Sakuya beckons them over.

"Now, we're going to force his wings open so we can see the extent of his injuries. When I say so, three people grab onto his left wing and three grab onto his four of us grab onto his right wing." Sakuya whispers once the others have made it over. I see Annette gasp sharply before she storms off ahead of us.

"Well, three on each wing then." Sakuya whispers, assuming that Annette didn't want to participate in the plan. And so, we waited. Annette's abrupt departure gave us an ample opportunity to execute the plan.

"Now!" Sakuya shouted and I grabbed onto his right wing with Kota and Alisa beside me, the others had grabbed the left wing.

'I'm really sorry Winter but this is for the best.' I repeat this thought over and over as I continue to pull. I can hear Winter's grunts and begin to feel guilty for forcing him into this but the deafening sound of a snap brings my attention to the wing I now hold in my hand. I see that Sakuya and Gina are also holding onto a wing with a pale face. That's when we all heard the owner of the wings shriek in pain. The shriek was loud enough to bring Tsubaki to the roof where she gasped in horror at the scene. She immediately rushed back in, possibly to get a medic. Winter had long since collapsed to ground with blood pouring from the remains of his wings. His painful shriek was enough to bring tears to my eyes and the pained expression on his face as well as the tears he shed was enough for the other girls to cry as well. Nobody dared to make their sobs heard as Kota proceeded to wrap one of Winter's right arm around his neck before helping him to walk over to the lift. My eyes followed them but I was stuck in place. I could see the scars on Winter's back but I didn't care because I am on of the causes for possibly the biggest scar he has. I heard the lift doors open where I had seen a few people from the medical team, get out and put Winter face down on a stretcher before carrying him away. Tsubaki was in the lift with them and didn't look very pleased.


	38. Chapter 38

From the Start

Chapter 38

"Speech"

'Thoughts'

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Also, please leave a review. I want Annette to have a greater role in this Fanfic as she hardly gets to do anything in the game.

Winter's POV

Opening my eyes, I find myself face down on a bed. I turn my head to the left and look around.

"So I'm in the infirmary." I speak to myself as I familiarise myself with my surroundings.

"Indeed you are." I hear a voice from my right and turn towards it where I see Tsubaki sitting on a chair at my bedside.

"Do you remember what happened?" She asks me with a look of concern.

"Yeah, I remember everything."I say and I notice my voice has turned solemn. I assume that my face has also turned as I see Tsubaki's expression show more concern.

"Can you tell me what happened?" She asks.

"A little accident before the mission meant that I had to complete it shirtless. They had noticed the scars on my body and enquire about it. I didn't want to talk about them and hid them from view by coiling my wings around my upper body but, once we got off the helicopter, they decided to force my wings to separate and instead, they snapped them off." I recount the events of what happened earlier that day. I notice Tsubaki making some note on her notepad.

"I'll talk with them. In the meantime, try not to move as much. We amputated the remains of the wings so now, it's almost like you're back to normal." She says with a small smile before leaving the infirmary. I turn my head the other way.

'Well, I won't be able to leave here today. I might as well get some rest.' I think to myself and try to get to sleep.

Kanon's POV (1 hour after Winter was taken to the infirmary)

Even when Winter was taken to the infirmary, the rest of us on the roof still couldn't move. I had looked at the wing for long enough and noticd that some of Winter's blood had gotten onto my hands. I look around with my crying stopping a while ago and notice everybody else sitting down. I also notice that it is beginning to get dark.

"Guys, I think we should go back inside now. It's getting pretty dark and we don't want to be here all night." Alisa says, depressed, and I turn towards her.

"Yeah, she's right." Sakuya says, also with a depressed tone, before sighing and picking herself up from the ground. I give a nod of the head before getting up, noticing that the others, whilst not saying anything, have also gotten up. We walk over to the lift and wait for it to arrive.

"Here." Gina says as she holds the other wing out to me in her bloodied hand. I take the wing and head into the lift. Alisa, Kota and I get off at our stop and I go straight into my room where I run straight to the bathroom to wash off the blood from my hands, taking the wings with me to also wash off the blood.

'His blood is on my hands. His blood is on my hands.' My thoughts repeat in my head.

'I'm sure the others are struggling with this as well.' I think to myself before finally seeing the last of the blood be removed. I leave the wings in the bathroom before flopping onto my bed.

'It's still too early to sleep' I think to myself as I notice the time is only 19:00.

'And even if it wasn't, I doubt I'd be able to sleep.' I hug the pillow close to me and attempt to get everything off my mind.

After an hour, I still can't get it off of my mind. I mean, the six of us ripped his wings off to pry into his past. He obviously didn't want to tell us.

"Attention! The following people must report to the Director's office: Sakuya, Kanon, Gina, Alisa and Kota!" Hibari announced over the intercom and it repeated several times. I got up from my bed and walked to the bathroom to pick up Winter's wings, already knowing why the six of us would have to report there. I leave my room, lock the door and go to the Director's office.

When I enter Sakaki's office, I notice that Sakaki, Tsubaki, Kota and Gina are present. I see that each of them has a solemn look on their face so I stand next to Gina and wait for the other two to show up. About 2 minutes later, they both arrive.

"Now that everyone is here, we can start." Sakaki begins.

"Would you mind telling us why the five of you decided to physically disfigure one of our best God Eaters?" Tsubaki asks politely but sternly.

"To be honest, having wings made him disfigured." Kota states matter of factly but no one disagreed.

"The fact of the matter is, he has had wings for a significant amount of time and thus, when we think of Winter, we think about the Chi-You of the Far East. That is an affectionate nickname that many of you call him." Sakaki states.

"We noticed that he has a lot of scars and asked him about it but he didn't answer us..." Sakuya began but Tsubaki interrupted,

"So you decided to rip his wings off to get a better look at these scars?"

"We didn't mean to rip them off, just pry them from covering his body." Sakuya states.

"And you never thought that he didn't want to talk about his scars? Don't we all have secrets that we don't want others knowing about?" Tsubaki asks.

"It was Annette's idea!" Sakuya said in a panic.

"So we wasn't she with you on the roof?" Sakaki asks.

"She thought that if she could trap us on the roof then we would have a chance to uncoil his wings. So she went ahead of us and made sure that we couldn't get into the lift." Sakuya says and I look towards her incredulously.

"So you're saying that Annette planned this?" Sakaki asks to which Sakuya nods her head. I wanted to say that Annette was against the plan and that she stormed off because of it but I couldn't find my voice. Nobody else was speaking up either but I don't know if it was for the same reason. Sakuya nodded in reply and Tsubaki left the office. A few minutes of silence and Sakaki looking at each of us, he dismissed us. I retreated straight to my room but not before hearing Alisa and Kota surround Sakuya,

"What the hell?" Alisa shouted. I didn't hear the rest of the conversation though as I had already entered the lift, heading back to my room.

Winter's POV

I awake, still face down, to somebody pulling on my shoulder. I turn towards the culprit and see that it is Tsubaki.

"I'm sorry to wake you but I've just had a talk with them." Tsubaki says as she sits down in the same place as earlier.

"Nah, it's fine. If I sleep now I won't be able to later." I reply before asking, "So, why are you here?"

"Like I've said, I had a talk with the ones that caused that." She points to my, now bare, back.

"Sakuya says that it was Annette's idea." She finishes allowing me to speak. I think it over in my head,

'Did Annette come up with the plan? No, she couldn't have.'

"Annette couldn't have come up with the idea. I heard Sakuya, Kanon and Gina whispering when we got off the helicopter and they were very close behind me. It wasn't until later that Annette joined us." I tell Tsubaki.

"I highly doubt that Sakuya lied to the Director and I." Tsubaki responds with disbelief that I was accusing Sakuya of lying.

"I heard Annette gasp, for what I can only assume is the plan that they came up with, and she stormed off. I am 98% sure that Annette was not the instigator." I respond and see Tsubaki stand up.

"If you're sure then I'll talk with Annette and hear her side of the story. You should be good to go by tomorrow." She says before leaving the infirmary. I turn myself around and feel little pain as I lie on my back. I look towards the ceiling before drifting off to sleep.

Annette's POV

I was called to the Director's office for some reason by Hibari over the intercom.

"I don't know why they'd want to see me." I storm my way over to the Director's office and I will not lie, I'm not in the best of moods. Especially after hearing the plan to uncover Winter's secret. Don't people know that everyone has their secrets to keep.

'I wonder if they actually went through with it. I know that they were called into the Director's office as I had heard Hibari earlier.' I think to myself. To be honest, I am pretty scared as to why I am being called in.

I arrive at the Director's office and knock a few times.

"Come in." I hear from the other side of the door and I enter.

"You wanted to see me." I say as I walk forward, noticing that Sakaki and Tsubaki are present.

"I'm sure you are aware about Winter's situation." Sakaki states.

"No, I'm not. Has something happened?" I ask curiously.

"Well, your other team members have, to put it simply, ripped Winter's wings off." Tsubaki states simply.

"What?" I shout, "I heard about the plan but..."

"Sakuya says that you are the one that formulated this plan." Sakaki states.

"You're joking right?" I ask but am met stern expressions.

"What! I would never to do anything like that! I know that a lot of people keep secrets and I have never tried to pry into them! I was disgusted by the plan to uncoil Winter's wings to reveal his secrets and so I left!" I shout with anger, entering an even worse mood than before.

"I understand how you feel, Annette. Winter is very confident that you were not the instigator." Sakaki says with a smile on his face.

"Oh." I say with my mood lessening.

'I might feel even better than before.'

"We called you in here to tell you that Sakuya blamed you as the instigator and nobody stood up for you. Before Tsubaki went to see Winter, I was thinking about a punishment for you but he is confident that you did not start this mess. However, now we have a problem. We don't know who the real cause is. Can you tell us what you can recall?" Sakaki asks.

"When the helicopter containing Kota, Alisa and I landed, we were beckoned over by Sakuya. She whispered to us about the plan and I was totally against it. I'm sure I gasped and then got onto the lift." I tell them my story.

"That seems to check out with what Winter told us. All right, I have deduced that you are not the culprit. I will warn you though, Sakuya was quick to blame you. You don't have to talk with or be with her but I will tell you this now, if you two get into a spat then you will both be punished." Tsubaki finished which just put m into a bad mood again.

'I was blamed!' The thought rings through my head.

"You are dismissed." Sakaki states and I take my leave.


	39. Chapter 39 - Aftermath

From the Start

Chapter 39

"Speech"

'Thoughts'

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Also, please leave a review.

Winter's POV

Waking up he next day, I dismiss myself from the infirmary and head straight to my room. When I enter, I pick out a new set of clothes, put them on, and put yesterday's clothes into the washing machine. I switch it on and hear a knock on the door before Sakuya lets herself in.

"Sorry, I heard the washing machine and thought that you were in." She says apologetically.

"That doesn't give you the right to walk into my room. I could have been naked." I say with no hint of emotion in my voice.

"Well, I've seen you shirtless already so it probably won't bother me much to see you naked."

"Pervert. So why did you let yourself in for?" I ask emotionlessly. She bows as she speaks,

"Well, first of all I want to apologise for what happened yesterday."

"For which part? Ripping my wings off? Or blaming Annette as the instigator?" I ask.

"So you heard about that." She nervously smiles and her head turns towards the wall.

"Before you even bother speaking to me, I suggest you and the rest of the team apologise to Annette." I tell her before lightly pushing on her to leave the room. She complies and leaves but Soma enters.

"I heard about what happened." He says as he walks to the wall opposite the door and leans on it.

"I never would have thought that they would do something like that." He says casually.

"You and me both." I close the door and walk to the terminal, ignoring the fact that Soma doesn't seem to be leaving my room any time soon. I feel his eyes on me as I operate the terminal. I look up the section called 'Personal Abilities' where I am met with people a roster of all the current God Eaters and next to them is a list of the equipment used as well 4 blank spaces.

"Hey Soma," I say to grab his attention and he looks towards me, "Is this 'Personal Abilities' section new?" I ask him. He walks over to me and glances over my shoulder at the screen on my terminal.

"It's been in circulation for a few months now. It allows you to equip abilities to all your potential team members. For instance, you could provide them with better health before a battle or better stamina. There are also abilities with fancy names but you should check them out and equip them. It will help us all in battle." He states, matter of factly.

"Wow, this could be pretty useful. How does it work?" I ask him.

"Well, we each get the chance to equip abilities to our partners, so I have already equipped relevant abilities to all of our unit. Let's say if you chose an ability called 'Damage Cut', which reduces the damage taken, it will be programmed into our God Arc and when we touch it, and when we come into contact with our God Arcs, our Armlets will program themselves with the abilities." He explains.

"Wow, this really will be useful." I say and start reading the descriptions of some of the abilities before I think of another question,

"Why can't I choose abilities for myself?"

"It's been tested but it never worked. It only worked when somebody else allocated the abilities, so the option to equip yourself with abilities was removed before the terminals were updated." Soma explains.

"Oh, wait you said earlier that you equipped abilities for our unit, right? What abilities did you choose for me?" I ask curiously with a hint of excitement in my voice.

"I'll tell you if you let me choose the abilities that I want for me." He crosses his arms and waits for my response.

"Okay then. So tell me." I agree to his terms.

"I chose 'Venom Immunity', 'Stun Immunity', 'Auto Guard' and... 'Glide'." He trails off at the last ability.

"I can accurately guess what the first three does but what does 'Glide' do?" I ask him.

"It was an ability unique to you, you were able to glide for longer distances than before but now I will have to change it, due to your condition." He answers, gesturing to my back.

"Ah, okay. So what abilities do you want?" I ask him, turning back to my terminal.

"I want 'Auto Guard', 'Venom Hits', 'Automatic Recovery' and 'Exterminator'." Soma list them off and I give him the abilities. I read what each one does as I cycle through them.

"There you go. Finished." I state and turn my head towards him. He gives a small smile before leaving the room. I turn back to the terminal and fill about abilities for the rest of the God Eaters.

After filling out the abilities for my potential team members, I get the urge to test them out and so I head over to Hibari's desk to arrange a mission. Upon arrival, I see she offers me a sad smile.

"Hi, Winter. It's unusual seeing you without wings." She greets me.

"It's strange for me too." I reply and she fidgets with her fingers.

"We heard you scream yesterday... Tsubaki was down here as well." Hibari informs me.

"Don't worry about it, Hibari. Just try to erase it from your memory. Anyway, I'd like to schedule a mission." I tell her my reason for visiting.

"Yeah, that's no problem but you will need to schedule it for later, Tsubaki wants to hold a group meeting with all the God Eaters in the next 15 minutes." She tells me before operating her computer.

"That's fine. I just want to test out the new 'Personal Abilities' system." I tell her and she asks me for the information on my team members.

"I think I'll go for Annette and Kanon." I respond.

"Are you sure?" I notice she looks a bit nervous.

"Yeah, despite what happened yesterday, Kanon's still my girlfriend and Annette still needs training." I tell her with a small smile on my face.

"Okay then. You're a great person for forgiving them so easily..."

"Forgiving them? No way! I have only forgiven Annette since she wasn't a part of Sakuya's plan to rip my wings off." I tell her and I see the surprise on her face before she realises what she just said.

"Oh sorry, I was thinking out loud, but that doesn't men that I don't think you're a great person." She looks slightly panicked and I calm her down by telling her that I knew what she meant to say. She does calm down and operates her computer to arrange for the mission. It is at this point that I hear Tsubaki from the upper level,

"Attention! Due to the increase in large Aragami, the 1st Unit will be on high alert. This means that they will no longer be participating in the search for Lindow."

"Are you serious, Tsubaki?" I hear Kota ask andI walk up the stairs to the upper level.

"That's Miss Amamiya to you." She speaks to Kota before continuing, "It is too much of a risk to send you all out so I will need the 1st Unit to fight the larger Aragami and protect the Den from any attacks. We know what happened the last time an Aragami attacked the Den." Tsubaki directs that towards me. Alisa tries to protest but after a talk with the 2nd and 3rd Units, she and the rest of the 1st Unit understand the decision.

"Before we go though, Captain, can you teach me that disengaging tactic one more time please?" Federico asks me.

"Me too, me too." Annette chips in.

"Hibari, add Federico to the squad list!" I shout with a hint of excitement from the upper level and an "Okay" is Hibari's response.

"What about me?" Annette asks.

"You are already on the squad list." I say and she smiles. I turn to Kanon ,who is standing with yesterday's culprits, losing all emotions from my voice, "You're on the list too."

"Well, that settles it. Once Winter's team arrives from their mission, the 2nd and 3rd Units will continue the search for Lindow." Tsubaki states before leaving. I notice that the group consisting of yesterday's culprits walk over towards me.

"Winter, I..." Sakuya begins.

"Have you told Annette yet?" I ask her.

"Told me what?" Annette's voice is filled with anger, not towards me but towards Sakuya and the others.

"In that case, I don't want to hear it." I say emotionlessly before continuing with the same excitement as before, "Come on Annette, Federico," my voice loses all emotions as I say "Kanon." Annette and Federico walk alongside me and Kanon trails behind. We enter the lift, collect our God Arcs and meet on the roof, with me talking happily with Annette and Federico but talking emotionlessly with Kanon.

'At least I am talking to her.' I think to myself before we all get onto the helicopter.


	40. Chapter 40

From the Start

Chapter 40

"Speech"

'Thoughts'

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Also, please leave a review.

Kanon's POV

The helicopter ride there was the worst experience I have ever had. Annette and Federico got into the helicopter first and sat next to each which meant I had to sit next to Winter. Now don't get me wrong, it's not like I don't like Winter, it's just that he is pretty mad at me and the others for physically disfiguring him. I was surprised that he even wanted me to come along on the mission but I was even more surprised that he was speaking to me, even if he was speaking in a moody voice. But I can't blame him. If somebody had ripped part of my body from me then I probably wouldn't want to see them ever again, probably even wish for them to die a slow and painful death. So the ride there, wasn't exactly a pleasant one. He even went out of his way to avoid me. I tried to lean my leg against his and he jerked his leg away from mine. I'd be lying if I said that it didn't upset me, but I am one of the causes of this.

Eventually, we had arrived at the Wailing Plains. The pilot had hovered over the landing point, waiting for us to jump out.

"Kanon, you should jump out last so that nothing happens." Winter tells me with no hint of emotion in his voice.

"Right." I reply, knowing that I sound dejected. He jumps out and is then followed by Annette.

"I'm not sure what happened on the roof but you need to make it up to him." Federico started, preparing to jump out of the helicopter, "I don't want to see him like that. It is quite scary. I'm glad I'm on his good side." Federico turns to me,

"This is just an idea, but have you thought about hosting an event to apologise to Winter?" He asks me before jumping out of the helicopter. His words repeat in my head.

'Why did I not think of that? It will be a great chance for us all to apologise.' I think to myself and jump out of the helicopter with a smile on my face.

I stand to the side, keeping watch for any Aragami whilst Winter is teaching Annette and Federico about the disengaging tactic.

'That reminds me, we'll need to apologise to Annette as well. I really hate myself for allowing Sakuya to place the blame on her.' I think to myself as I look away from my team members.

'Let's see, are there any upcoming events that are important for Winter... Wait a minute, I don't even know important things like his birthday! How am I supposed to figure that out? It's not like I can just ask him, he'll know that I m planning something. I'll have to ask the others if they know anything.'

"Kanon! We're sorted now, we're getting ready to leave." Winter's emotionless voice pulls me out of my thoughts and I walk towards the group where we wait for the helicopter to arrive.

The helicopter arrived about 5 minutes later and thee seating arrangements were the same as they were on the way here. However, the ride back was better than the ride there as I was thinking about any kind of event that the whole Den could celebrate which would give us a chance to apologise. I was also thinking about the decorations that could be used and where they could be placed around the Den. It was only 10 minutes later when we arrived back at the Den. As soon as the helicopter landed, I ran back into the Den, knowing that it would look weird, but I am simply too excited about my plan. When I get back into the Den, I head towards Kota's room and knock on it rapidly, unable to contain my excitement. Kota rushes towards the door and I see the panic on his face,

"What? What? Has something happened?" He asks in a panic.

"No, nothing's wrong. But I'm planning on having a party and I'm going to need your help to arrange it." I say happily.

"Yeah I'd be happy to help but what is the party for?" He asks.

"Well, I haven't been able to figure out when we're holding it but it is so we can all apologise to Winter and Annette." I answer.

"It sounds like a great idea." I hear a voice behind me to see Alisa twirling her hair.

"Oh, hey Alisa. When did you get here?" I ask her curiously.

"I was in my room when you decided to knock erratically on Kota's door so I opened mine to see what the fuss was about." She says matter of factly. "But I would like the chance to apologise to the both of them."

"Great, well the first thing we should do is find out when we will have the party. Kanon, is there an important event for Winter coming up soon?" Kota asks.

"Er... Um... I-I don't know." I respond sheepishly whilst rubbing my head.

"What? Well, what about his birthday?" Alisa asks.

"I don't know that either..."

"You're hopeless." Alisa says before sighing, "We should probably see Sakaki and ask if there any important events for Winter soon. If not, we'll have to see if Annette has any important events coming up." Alisa suggests and we, Alisa, Kota and I, decide to head to the Director's office.

We walk into the Director's office and walk up to Sakaki's desk.

"Is there something you need?" Sakaki asks with his usual smile on his face.

"We want to know if there is anything important coming up. You know, like birthdays and stuff." Kota states.

"Not that I know of. Why do you ask?" Sakaki asks which deflates the mood of the three.

"Oh, no reason." Alisa answers and we walk towards the door. As we reach it, Sakaki states,

"Miss Amamiya might have what you are looking for." And he succeeds in giving us new hope. As we get outside of Sakaki's office, we decide to visit Tsubaki. Unfortunately, we do not know where she resides so we have to visit Hibari so that she can tell us where Tsubaki is.

When we arrive at Hibari's desk, we notice Sakuya and inform her of the plan to organise a party to apologise to Winter and Annette. We also ask her if she knows of any special occasion, for Winter, that is coming up soon.

"I'm not sure, Tsubaki will probably know though. Why do you want a special occasion though?" She asks.

"So that it doesn't look suspicious that we're organising a party for them." I answer her.

"So you want to know where Tsubaki is?" Hibari asks, having heard our conversation.

"Yeah, do you know?" Kota enquires.

"I would imagine that she is asking Winter about how the mission went with the newbies but after that, I suppose that she would return to her office."

"Where is her office?" Alisa asks with determination to find Tsubaki.

"Actually, it's right next to Sakaki's. I've noticed it a few times when I was called into the former Director's Office." Sakuya answers and the four of them head off to her office.


	41. Chapter 41

From the Start

Chapter 41

"Speech"

'Thoughts'

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Also, please leave a review.

Winter's POV

As soon as the helicopter landed on the Den's roof, Kanon bolted out of the helicopter and ran straight to the lift.

"What's up with her?" Federico asks, confused at Kanon's outburst.

"No idea." I answer before jumping out of the helicopter. I start walking to the lift and hear two pairs of footsteps alongside mine.

"Didn't Tsubaki want the two of you to help in the search for Lindow?" I ask them both and watch their confused expressions. These expressions quickly turn to fear as they sprint to the lift. Luckily it had just arrived but this meant that I was stranded on the roof for a while, _again_. As I wait for the lift to come back up, I keep getting the feeling that someone is behind me. I turn my head to look over my shoulder every so often. It's only when I look at the ground that I see where I am standing. I see the faint patches of dried blood that someone appears to have attempted to remove from the ground. I look up quickly and step to the side, not wanting to see my own blood from a day that I would rather forget. The lift arrives and I almost leap into it, pressing the button for the Veteran Section.

When I arrive at the Veteran's Section, I see Ren leaning against thee vending machine with a can of First Love Juice in his hand. I walk over to him, having not had the chance to speak to him in a long while.

"He is certainly beloved, isn't he? Lindow must have made some impression."

'Not even a greeting?' I think to myself as Ren continues.

"Even his foolishness, his jokes, idiocy... Hahaha! Come to think of it, you even saw it, didn't you? That first day that you fought together."

'How does he know that? I'm sure that none of my battles were recorded.' My suspicions of Ren begin to rise again.

"Ah, yes. Perhaps that was his way of... Shattering the ice. I suppose that was a gift of his. And look at what you have become. A leader, a captain, a God Eater well-loved and well-respected by al those who fight here. That... Is why I must tell you this. Why I must warn you."

'This has taken a turn for the worse.'

"Dealing with a God Eater who's been infected is..."

'He knows that Lindow is infected. Has he lost hope that we can bring Lindow back?'

"It's a rapid mutation when a Bias Factor is suddenly and violently cut off. It's fast and it's vicious and it will do terrible things. If the mutation spreads... If it finds a way to spread, and it will... You will lose all that made you human. There will be nothing left to find. God Arcs - well, most God Arcs will have no affect against someone so infected. There is only one way I know of, one way that can guarantee any kind of peace and death for that person... It's not easy, of course. You'd have to be a match. You'd have to already be twined to them in a way that..." I cut Ren off by lunging at him and holding him by his neck, in the air, against the vending machine, but he continues, "You must use their own God Arc. It's the only way to finish them." He struggles out whilst looking like he will pass out from oxygen deprivation. I place him onto the floor and release my strong hold on his neck.

"It won't come to that. I'm sure of it." I say threateningly, hoping to drop the subject.

"You can't guarantee that. You've already had visions of Lindow in his previous state. But the vision was from before I came here, before the Director died. How do you know that he hasn't already transformed into an Aragami and is already..." My grip tightens, cutting off his air supply again, but I can't say anything.

'He's right. The visions were from long before we even met Shio who had helped him. What would he be like now? No! I can't give up! And I won't!'

"You need to understand, I am just preparing you for the worst possible scenario." He struggles to talk and I weaken my grip on his neck.

"Tell me what would happen. You track Lindow down to wherever he is... Tell me what would happen if you saw an Aragami standing there instead. If you saw what he became. Could you put him down? Could you slay the beast?" He finishes and I let go of him.

'He's given me a lot to think about here.' I think to myself as Ren walks lightly ahead.

"It is the nature of this world to choose. Selfish choices, foolish choices. It is the nature of this world to do right and to do wrong. Lindow made a choice that day. You know it as well as I. Did that bring happiness? Redemption? Your choosing is coming fast, Winter... So very fast." He pauses, "I've disturbed you. I am... Sorry for that. You can find me at the clinic." He finishes before walking towards the lift. I continue to think to myself and, after 10 minutes of thinking, decide to do a solo-scouting mission to see if Lindow left any clues to his whereabouts.

Kanon's POV

We didn't have to wait long for Tsubaki to arrive at her office, and as soon as she did, she noticed four of us waiting for her.

"What is it? I am a very busy person." She says as she enters her office. We enter it as well.

"Well, we were thinking of a way to apologise to Winter and Annette for what happened. We thought about hosting a party but we need to know if there are any specific dates that are special to Winter so that it wouldn't look to suspicious if we were hosting a party." I tell her.

"While I agree that you need to apologise to them both of them, at the very least, do you know what king of reception that Winter will give me if I release any of his personal information." Tsubaki answers.

"But..." I begin but Tsubaki speaks again.

"Therefore I cannot leak any of his personal information." Tsubaki says as she leans back into her chair and puts her feet onto her desk.

"Please Miss Amamiya..." Alisa protests but Tsubaki interrupts.

"No. Think of it this way, would you want your information to be 'leaked' out for people to see?" Tsubaki asks rhetorically and we lose hope of obtaining answers from Tsubaki and leave her office.

We continue walking away when an idea pops into my head and so I voice it,

"Why don't we just go into his room? He gave me a key a while back."

"Why didn't you say so before? Come on, let's go!" Kota shouts with enthusiasm and we all head to the Veteran Section.

We arrive at the Veteran Section and quietly walk over to Winter's room. We don't even realise that Soma is against the doorway of his room.

"What do you think you are doing?" Soma asks, surprising all of us.

"Jesus, Soma, you scared us." Alisa says, regaining her breath.

"I repeat, what are you doing?" Soma repeats, sternly and we tell him the plan.

"Fine, do whatever, just don't come to me if he doesn't accept your apology." Soma says before closing his door and retreating into his room. We continue creeping towards Winter's door and I put an ear to it. After a minute of hearing no noise, I turn back to the group and give them a thumbs up before grabbing a spare key to Winter's room from my pocket and unlocking Winter's door with it. I open Winter's door and walk in, with the others following me. We disperse straight away and start searching.

"Remember to clean up your mess when we're finished." I announce as I see Kota throwing things everywhere.

After 10 minutes of thorough searching, we're just about ready to give up when Alisa shouts,

"Hey, I may have found something!" We walk over to Alisa who's face has turned bright red as she lifted a folded sheet of paper from a pair of Winter's boxer shorts. She unflods the paper and reads aloud,

" _Remember the events that transpired on the 13_ _th_ _April._ " She looks up looking confused.

"Clearly, the 13th of April is important for him." Sakuya says.

"That's next week." Kota speaks up.

"Great! Then we've got a date arranged!" I exclaim happily and see the smiles of the others.

"Yeah, so now we've got a party to plan. We've got to have decorations, presents and everybody should be involved. Kanon, you're in charge of the decorations..." Kota pauses.

"Right!"

"Sakuya, spread the word but make sure to keep it a secret from Winter." Kota pauses, waiting for a response.

"Okay!"

"Alisa, you'll..."

"Who put you in charge?" Alisa interrupts but Kota just ignores her,

"You can choose the location, then you can help Kanon and Sakuya."

"So what are you going to be doing?" Alisa asks him.

"I'm going to make sure that Winter doesn't find out. And I am going to see why the 13th is so important." Kota says as he gives a thumbs up. "Okay everyone, let's start planning!"

After leaving Winter's room to start planning, we had come up with a problem. Kota had told us that there were no decorations in the Den so that means we would have to create the decorations. That means we would have to obtain Aragami materials and create some decorations. Alisa had asked if we had any materials stored but I had sold all of mine and so had Sakuya, Kota and Alisa. Therefore, we would have to get new materials. So we scheduled a mission and left the Den immediately, hoping to secure some materials. Right now, we're sitting in the helicopter on the way to the City of Mercy. Hibari had told us that there were a number of Aragami there and it would gives us a lot of materials.

"What are we up against again?" Kota asks, having forgot about Hibari's mission briefing.

"Jeez, you really are an idiot, Kota. Hibari said that there were 4 Ogretails, 2 Chi-Yous, 1 Kongou and 1 Sariel in the area." Alisa tells him before turning to Sakuya, "Have you got a plan to kill this many Aragami?"

"We'll target them from a distance and when it's safe enough that we won't be surrounded, we'll fight them at a closer range." Sakuya suggested, knowing that three of us only have a Gun Form God Arc.

"That may be for the best. We don't want any accidents, do we?" I ask rhetorically as the other three agree. Approximately 10 minutes later, we arrive at the drop off point and, looking out of the helicopter, we can see that the area is full of Aragami.

"Hibari was right about it being crowded. There's a ton of them!" Kota exclaimed before jumping off the helicopter. I give it a few seconds before I jump down too. Another few seconds later and the other two land.

"Right, we'll stay here and shoot. When the area is clear, we'll move up." Sakuya says as she readies her God Arc and we follow suit. The four of us line our God Arcs near each other and wait for Sakuya's signal to fire.

"On the count of three, shoot towards the Ogretails. Numbers are more important than the type. Ready? 1... 2... 3!" Sakuya shouts and we open fire on the Ogretails. About 1 minute later, we have shot dead all of the Ogretails and move up to take cover behind their corpses, extracting the cores and materials before we set our God Arcs up for phase 2.

"Next, we'll kill the two Chi-Yous. On my mark, 1... 2... 3!" Sakuya shouts and we launch our attacks at the Chi-You that had gathered together.

"Shit! The Kongou has spotted us!" Sakuya shouts as the Kongou charges towards us, causing us to cease fire on the Chi-You which now follow the Kongou. The Sariel notices the other Aragami charging in one direction and comes to inspect the situation before realising that we are here and begins to attack.

"We'll each have to take one!" Alisa shouts, narrowly avoiding a gliding Chi-You.

"You're right! I'll take the Sariel! Kota, Kanon you two take the Chi-Yous! Alisa, you've got the Kongou!" Sakuya shouts and she is met with our responses of "Right!"

After 10 minutes, the Aragami have been defeated and we extract their cores and materials. However, we are utterly exhausted.

"That was a lot more tiring than it should have been." I say, sitting on the ground, with exhaustion clearly evident in my voice.

"Yeah, it was a lot harder for us since our God Arcs aren't built for short range combat." Sakuya says, also regaining her breath as she kneels on the ground.

"Yeah, we had to move a lot more than we are used to." Kota says, leaning against a huge rock.

"Well, at least we'll have lost more pounds." Alisa sees the positive side.

"Attention God Eaters!" Hibari's voice comes through all of our radios, "A Type 1 Deusphage has been detected in the City of Mercy." Hibari repeats multiple times.

"What's a Deusphage?" Kota asks, dragging his feet as he moves closer to us.

"It is an Aragami that has 'upgraded' itself. They're a lot stronger than the regular versions. What concerns me is that Hibari never mentioned which Deusphage it is." Sakuya answers.

"How many Deusphages are there?" Alisa asks curiously and preparing her God Arc in case the Aragami decides to launch a surprise attack.

"I don't know how many there are but I have ran into a few of them in the past. The sad thing is that during those missions, not everybody returned alive." Sakuya says sadly as her expression mirrors her emotions.

"Well, we should get moving. I don't think any of us are in the right condition to fight..." I begin but a sudden roar interrupts us. We look to the source and notice a large Aragami that looks similar to a Borg Camlann, with purple and black colours.

"A Susano'o." Sakuya announces its name quietly and it wraps its tail over its head as it charges towards us. Luckily we have enough energy to move in different directions so the Aragami does not hit us.

"We can't fight this thing! We're too exhausted!" Kota shouts and the Aragami turns towards him. It attempts to grab at him using its claws but Kota manages to move out of the way in just enough time. It then swings its tail which manages to hit Sakuya, Kota and I with the former two losing consciousness. I try to move towards a rock and, with great struggle, manage to do so. I see Alisa swinging her God Arc at the Aragami and she doesn't notice that it is about to launch another tail swing attack. I try to warn her but my voice is too quiet for her to hear and she is launched over 20 metres away and is slammed against a wall, knocking her out instantly. I try to move towards her but I can't move a muscle. I make any grunts as I try and try again which the Aragami must have heard as it makes its way over to me. I stop all attempts at moving as the creature stares at me. I see its tail being raised over its head.

'This is it. I'm going to die. I'm going to make people upset at my absence in their lives. My mother, my sister. Winter. I never even got a chance to apologise.' I feel the tears fall from my eyes, down my face and into my lap. The Aragami thrusts its tail forwards. I close my eyes, reluctantly accepting my fate.

"Kanon!" I hear a pained voice shout and my eyes spring open immediately. I see Winter holding his God Arc's Shield in front of him as he blocks the attack that was meant to end my life.

"W-Win-ter." I manage to squeeze out before feeling a great pain in my throat.

"Don't give up, Kanon!" He shouts with worry evident in his voice as he pushes against the Susano'o, causing it to move backwards.

"You're going to survive! You all are! Just stay awake!" He shouts with his tone getting slightly higher as he says those words. He keeps pushing the Susano'o back so that it is about 20 metres away from me. The Susano'o finally gives up on its tail attack and moves it away, allowing Winter to disengage his shield and slash at it in his God Arc's Melee Form. I keep my gaze on him as he jumps around the Aragami, slashing at it as he moves. About 2 minutes later and Winter delivers the final blow.

'Winter just saved me.' Is all I can think about as he talks into his radio whilst extracting the core of the Susano'o. He walks over and kneels to reach eye level. I can see a few old streaks of tears.

My head was screaming because of positive and negative thoughts like, "I made him cry' and 'He still cares!'

"I need you to stay awake, okay?" He asks rhetorically, knowing that I can't respond because of my exhaustion. I manage to keep my eyes open as he says,

"The helicopters are on the way. We'll be back at the Den soon. Listen, I need to check on the others, do you think that you can manage being here until the helicopters arrive?" He asks me and I painfully nod my head once.

"Great, thanks." He stands up and runs towards Kota. I see him move his hand to nudge Kota and he doesn't get a response.

'Is that a fearful expression?' I think to myself as I notice Winter's face look panicked. He rolls Kota onto his back and presses an ear to his chest. I then see Winter spring back up and give Kota CPR.

'He's not breathing? This is all my fault! If I didn't have the idea of having a party then her wouldn't be in this mess! Wait, if Kota needs CPR, do the others need it too?' I move my head, with much pain, towards Sakuya's unconscious form and try to see if her chest is moving. About 30 seconds pass and I realise that she isn't. I turn my head towards Kota and see that he is now breathing again. I hear part of the conversation h is having with Winter.

"Thanks buddy, I owe ya one."

"It's okay. Can you move?" I hear Winter ask and see Kota attempting to move. I turn away as I realise he can't but move my arm and point towards Sakuya. Fortunately, Winter had positioned Kota against a wall and he notices that I am pointing to someone. I hear him tell Winter and he looks towards me and follows where I am pointing to. He notices Sakuya and runs over towards her and checks to see if she is breathing. I notice that he conducts CPR on Sakuya as well and I turn towards where Alisa landed. She is too far away to tell if she is breathing and so I just point my arm in the direction that she is in, hoping that Winter will notice. I turn back towards him to see that Sakuya is breathing but remains unconscious. He looks back at me and follows where I am pointing to and finds Alisa. I see him put an ear to her chest and see that he picks Alisa up and brings her closer to us.

'It looks like Alisa didn't need CPR.' I think to myself as I see him place her against a large rock. He walks over to Sakuya and does the same thing. He then goes to Kota and asks if he can move yet. It turns out that he can't and Winter carries him over towards the other two. He then comes over towards me,

"I'm going to carry you, okay?" I nod and he picks me up.

'I never noticed it before as I was panicking over if Sakuya, Alisa and Kota were still alive but we have all been carried bridal style by Winter.' I feel my face heat up as I think that.

After a few minutes of sitting and Winter talking to Kota and I, a very large helicopter arrives with medical staff on board.

"We'll need you to carry them in, Winter!" Yells a member of the medical staff and Winter picks up Sakuya before taking her into the helicopter and lying her on one of the prepared beds. Winter comes back and does the same thing with Alisa, picking her up and placing her on the bed. He comes back out of the helicopter,

"Sorry again about this, Kota." He says as he picks Kota up and brings him into the helicopter. He comes towards me,

"At least I don't have to apologise for picking you up like this." He says before carrying me, bridal style, into the helicopter.

'He likes carrying me like this?' I ask myself and feel my face heat up again. He places me onto the bed before going back out.

"Where are you going?" Kota asks in my place to Winter.

"I need to get your God Arcs." Winter says before leaving the helicopter and coming back in with four God Arcs.

"How were you able to touch them?" Kota asks and I felt myself asking the same question.

"Sakaki had invented a special type of glove that allows people to pick up another person's God Arc for a short period of time. You can't battle with it, but it is great for God Arc retrieval missions." Winter answers before taking a seat next to me.

"You can go to sleep now." He tells us and a member of the medical staff puts an oxygen mask onto me and seconds later, my vision goes black. However, I can still hear Winter talking, but who is he talking to?


	42. Chapter 42 - Reality Check

From the Start

Chapter 42

"Speech"

'Thoughts'

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Also, please leave a review.

Winter's POV

When the helicopter landed, one of the medical staff on board had asked me to carry Kota, Sakuya, Alisa and Kanon into the helicopter. When I had carried Sakuya in, I noticed that the medical staff had prepared three beds. I looked to the staff and noticed that Ren was amongst them and so, after carrying Kota and Kanon into the helicopter, I decided to talk to Ren who had sat next to me.

"It was lucky that you showed up when you did." Ren stated, "Otherwise we'd be preparing their graves right now."

"No, it was my fault that I let the Aragami escape. You see, I went on a mission to find evidence of Lindow and had to fight off a number of Aragami _._ I couldn't take them all on at once so I let a few of them escape. The Susano'o was one of them. And it almost took the lives of my friends." I say, sounding depressed.

"You still consider them friends after what they done?" Ren asked curiously.

"Yeah. One set back isn't enough to end a friendship." I reply confidently.

"You have a strong heart." Ren compliments before changing the subject,

"You said you were looking for any sign of Lindow, have you found anything?"

"No, but it is too early to give up. I will keep searching until he has been found." I say confidently.

"I see, he must mean a lot to you."

"He's a friend and I will always help a friend in need but there are people that need him as more than a friend. He has a sister that cares for him a lot and Sakuya also cares deeply for him. Alisa wants to apologise for what happened back then, Kota looks up to him as a leader and I believe that he is Soma's first friend." I explain.

"It appears he has made an impact on everyone, which is why, if he has turned, you need to end his suffering and end the suffering of everyone who knows him." Ren brought up the subject we were talking about earlier today. I remain silent and let him talk.

"I understand that you do not want to think about this situation but I am only preparing you for the worst case scenario. As the leader of the 1st Unit only you can stop everyone's suffering."

"I still don't think that I'd be able to do that." I say with sadness in my voice.

"But you must if that is what it comes to. Only you have a connection with his God Arc." Ren reasons with me and I stay silent. For the rest of the trip, Ren and I talk about my recent battles with Aragami. It's a nice topic to discuss but it came to an end as we arrived at the Den.

Once we landed, the medical team had rushed the four of them out of the helicopter and into the Den, where I assume they were taken to the infirmary. I jumped out of the helicopter after the others were taken and Ren accompanies me to the lift. We part ways as he goes to the infirmary and I head to my room, hoping to rest after a long day of training the new recruits and searching for any evidence of Lindow.

"Wait, why's my door unlocked?" I speak aloud as I try the handle of my door.

"I definitely locked it." I state but don't think anything of it as everything in the room seems to be left the way it was before I left. I slump onto my bed and crawl into the covers. A few minutes later, I drop off to sleep.

The bright rays of the sun wake me up with a stir. I rub my eyes before walking over to my terminal. Whilst there, I check to see if I have any messages but notice something else entirely. I notice that the date is the 8th of April.

"Only five days away." I tilt my head back and a small smile crosses my face before I direct it back towards my terminal.

"A day I'd rather forget but I won't allow myself to forget." I speak quietly to myself with my small smile still present on my face. I decide to check my messages.

 _Subject: MISSION ALERT!_

 _Message: We have tried many ways of waking you up but you have an urgent mission. Unfortunately, your team mates couldn't wait and have set off to complete the mission. You should organise yourself and head over to the Sunken Grid immediately._

 _Hibari_

I read that the message was sent 10 minutes ago.

'Good, I can still make it in time.' I think to myself before dressing myself in my battle suit and running out of the door, heading towards God Arc Storage Area 2.

I run through the door and see Licca operating the machine at the end of the Warehouse.

"Licca, I need my God Arc!" I shout and she turns around.

"It's about time you showed up." Licca says as she operates the machine and my God Arc is unlocked.

"Thanks Licca!" I shout, grabbing my God Arc and heading back through the corridor and into the lift. I run to Hibari's desk,

"Are there any helicopters available?" I ask through my exhaustion.

"Nope, you'll have to run. You should arrive in time for your mission next time!" Hibari shouts as I run out of the Den, intending to run all the way to the Sunken Grid.

30 minutes of running later, I see the figures of Tatsumi, Karel, Shun and Gina as well as a large Aragami. As I get closer, I notice that this large Aragami is about to swing its fist at the group. I jump in front of them and deploy my shield and the Hannibal Variant's fist connects with my shield when a vision suddenly starts.

I see the stairs of the Tranquil Temple and hear a grunt.

"Where the hell did I end up? What am... Who am I? My God Arc... Where's... Where's my God Arc?" I hear as I see a person holding their arm in pain.

"Aegis... Aegis is... That's where I... Where is Aegis?" Images of Aegis Island suddenly appear in my head before returning to the figure, that I have deduced to be Lindow, walking through the Tranquil Temple.

"Oh... Am I dead? No... M-maybe... Sleep and agony..." I hear Lindow say before the vision goes black but new colours emerge that makes it look as if Lindow is in the Sunken Grid.

"Aragami! Wicked beast!" Lindow shouts as a number of Kongous can be seen in the Sunken Grid. Lindow runs towards it.

"You'll pay! You'll pay for hurting them!" Lindow says as he kills the Kongou closest to him by knocking it into a wall.

"The hell are they just standing there?" Lindow asks, referring to Tatsumi, Karel, Shun and Gina who look towards him with surprised expressions.

"Dammit... Not enough... Not enough! Bastards, cowards, monsters! Lindow houts as he tears into the Aragami before him.

"Die, die Die!"

"Run beast. If it weren't for your kind we... Where are they? Did they get away in time?" Lindow asks as he turns towards the God Eaters that haven't moved from that spot.

"Huh?" I hear Tatsumi say.

"No! I can't stop it! NO! No, no! Run! Damn you. Please! Run! Get the hell out of here!" Lindow shouts as he makes a fist and smashes it towards Tatsumi who is blasted back.

"Don't fight! Just flee! Flee!" Lindow shouts as he unwillingly prepares another attack.

"Kid... Is that... You? You can't... No! No! Stop!" I see me in the vision as I jump in front of the group and block Lindow's attack where my vision suddenly ends.

I keep my shield up as the Aragami backs off and escapes.

'That was Lindow? He's turned?' My thoughts rush through my head that I can't hear the voices of the God Eaters beside me.

'Lindow has turned! Ren was right? There was no hope from the start! I drop my shield with there being no Aragami around us and stare off into space.

'Tell me what would happen. You track Lindow down to wherever he is...Tell me what would happen if you saw an Aragami there instead. If you saw what he became. Could you put him down? Could you slay the beast?' Ren's words repeat in my head but the frantic moving of Tatsumi's arm in my face as well as him staring into my eyes brings me out of my thoughts.

"We need to get back. I wonder if this is an effect of that Aragami." I hear Tatsumi say before he radios to Hibari and asks for a medical helicopter, presumably for me.

"That won't be necessary. Just call for a regular helicopter." I tell him, speaking my first words since arriving and saving everyone's arses. Which reminds me,

"You all owe me one." Of course, I am met with mixed responses with Tatsumi and Gina agreeing with me but Shun and Karel saying they could take on that Aragami by themselves.

'If you knew who it was you couldn't.' I found myself thinking but soon the helicopter arrived and after a short ride, we were back at the Den where I immediately went to the infirmary.

Arriving at the infirmary, I walk through the door to see Kanon, Kota, Alisa and Sakuya awake and talking.

"Oh. Hi, Winter!" Kanon greets me as she notices me enter the room which causes the rest of them to look to me. They all greet me with a hello and I take the time to look at each one of them. Their injuries don't seem to be too serious, with only a few bandages each but it would be best for them to rest.

"Hi everyone. How are you all feeling?" I ask them with a fake smile on my face, luckily they don't notice that it is fake.

"We're feeling better now, thanks to you." I notice Sakuya's red face and confusion spreads across my face.

"I told them that you gave them CPR. Kota already knew but it is fun to see his face flash bright red." Kanon says happily and I turn towards Kota. Kanon was right, he was bright red and flustered as he shook his arms in front of him. This brings a real smile to my face, knowing that the two of them, Kota and Sakuya, were embarrassed. Having not heard from Alisa yet, I turn towards her to see that her face is turned towards the wall.

"What's up with her?" I ask and the other three notice that I am looking towards Alisa.

"Well, I told them about how we were all carried to the helicopter." I notice that they all turn red at that one as I remember that I carried them bridal style to the helicopter.

'Kota is turning red quite often' I think to myself and turn to him, calling him out on my thought.

"It's just embarrassing to be in them positions. I mean, I am a man." Kota tries to defend his honour and pushes out his chest which causes the three girls to laugh at his antics.

"Yeah sure, anyway, I came here to look for somebody but I can see he is not here." I inform them.

"You mean, you weren't going to visit us?" Kanon asks with a look of surprise.

"I was going to visit you all just not right now. I'll be back again later though." I tell them before leaving the infirmary.

After leaving the infirmary, I walk towards the lift and press the button for the lift to stop at the infirmary floor. I wait for a couple of seconds before the lift arrives and out comes Ren.

"Just who I was looking for." I say in a sad tone, catching his attention and I motion him over towards the vending machine where I pay for two First Love Juice drinks and give one to him.

"Judging by your tone, I assume something bad has happened." Ren states as he opens his can and takes a drink.

"You were right." I say with a sad smile on my face, "He has turned."

"You mean Lindow? I thought as much." He responds in his usual tone, "So, what are you going to do?" He asks me.

"I'm going to make sure that he can't hurt anyone. I need you to come with me tomorrow." I tell him and he agrees without hesitation.


	43. Chapter 43

From the Start

Chapter 43

"Speech"

'Thoughts'

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Also, please leave a review.

Winter's POV

The next day, Ren and I met up on the roof of the Den early in the morning. It was still quite dark outside but that would change by the time we have tracked Lindow down. The two of us took one of the helicopters and set off to track Lindow. Luckily, Ren knew how to operate the helicopter so while he was piloting, I was tracking Lindow the simple way of looking out of the windows.

"The first place we should investigate should be Aegis Island. I heard a few rumours that a large Aragami was situated there and I believe that Lindow would go there with hopes of not being able to hurt any of us God Eaters." I say, still looking out of the window whilst seated in the co-pilot's seat.

"That is smart thinking, Winter." Ren says and I assume he has a smile on his face.

"I, too, also suspect that Lindow is on Aegis Island. I just have some sort of a hunch." Ren continues as we fly towards Aegis. 30 minutes later and we land on Aegis Island. I take the time to notice that it has gotten significantly brighter and we head into Aegis, God Arcs ready, and see Lindow. We meet on the battlefield but I notice that Ren seems to have disappeared.

'Where did he go?' I think to myself before Lindow takes my attention by swiping at me.

Kanon's POV

I wake up to the sound of helicopter taking off and it appears that I am not the only one that had. I see Sakuya has also been woken up and is now sitting up.

"What was that?" She asks, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.

"I think it was a helicopter." I say just before Hibari announces for the whole of the 1st Unit to come to her desk. That seems to awaken Kota and Alisa and we all head down to Hibari's desk. We see that Soma is standing there.

"Good, you're all here. We have just confirmed an Aragami's signature. The signature belongs to a Black Hannibal. It appears to have claimed dominion over what remains of Aegis Island. The Captain went after it... I don't know if he plans on fighting it or saving it, but... He went alone." Hibari says looking up in surprise.

"That must have been why we heard the helicopter." Sakuya states and I agree with her.

"What? That's... That's crazy!" Kota exclaims in disbelief.

"Out there all alone... Why?" Alisa asks.

"Because he's stupid. Come on, gather your Arcs. We're going right now." Soma says and we all nod our heads in agreement but we hear a vooice from the stairs and turn towards it,

"Hold! No one moves... Not yet." Tsubaki says and she walks in front of us.

"What?" I ask.

"What are you talking about?" Alisa asks after me.

"The Black Hannibal... Somehow Lindow was infected. He became something that cannot be controlled." Tsubaki says in a stoic voice.

"What? How do you know this?" I ask.

"When Winter touched Lindow's God Arc, he had a resonance with it and since then he has continued to have resonances. He is our source for knowing that Lindow is very much alive." Tsubaki states, surprising everyone there.

"Winter was the source? Why didn't he tell us?" Sakuya asks in shock before an angry look overtakes her face.

"The visions that he told Director Sakaki and I about were from a long time ago. Before the Ark Project was destroyed and we thought it would be best to keep it a secret so as not to bring you false hope. However, I read Tatsumi's report yesterday and I believe that Winter had another vision. His report says that Winter stood very still after the Aragami had fled. The Aragami they were against was the Black Hannibal." Tsubaki states and I connect the dots. I was shocked but I remain silent to let Tsubaki explain the situation to he others.

"Winter had began having resonances about Lindow, only after he touched his God Arc. But he had another resonance as the Aragami's fist connected with his God Arc's shield. I believe that this vision had shocked Winter enough to make him remain motionless for some time as he didn't believe what saw. The Black Hannibal is Lindow." Tsubaki states and I hear their gasps of surprise.

"There's no way." Sakuya whispers.

"Your Captain went to protect all of you. To save you and finish this."

"But we're a team!" Sakuya protests.

"Sakuya... Are you ready to point your Arc at Lindow?"

"I... Tsubaki..." Tsubaki leaves her speechless.

"And what about the rest of you? Do you think you could take aim at your teacher?" Tsubaki asks and is met with a sigh from Kota and a gasp from Alisa.

"You don't have a choice anymore. If you want to help Winter then you must be ready." Tsubaki states and I notice that Soma is still yet to express anything.

"I hereby issue a Special Operation. Your target is the Black Hannibal that has taken Aegis. You are to hunt it and destroy it." Tsubaki states.

"Wait, what?" We all speak similar questions.

"It's power grow every moment. Take it down and end this here and now. Be wary, the Aragami can regenerate, and it's stronger than any you have faced. As of now, it has the upper hand. Bring the beast to its knees, extract the core and retreat immediately. Am I understood? 1st Unit, am I understood?" Tsubaki asks and we all respond positively.

"Sakuya, not you. I order you to stay here at the Den. I won't allow you to grieve over and over again. It's not right to make you hurt him." Tsubaki orders.

"No... No, I... I refuse to obey. I love him, Tsubaki. And I can't... I can't let him die. I won't let him fall without being there to see his last breath." Sakuya almost weeps and Tsubaki sighs.

"All right."

"Yeah... Yeah, we'll do it. We don't have an option, do we? I mean it's one thing to say we can, but it's another to actually know and to really... To really..." Kota begins but Soma cuts him off,

"Hey, our only calling is to protect our Captain. We've been carried through every day. Now it's our turn to take up the banner. Winter left by himself to protect us. We don't have to land the finishing blow, we just have to protect Winter."

"And we will. And maybe, maybe I'm just hoping a little too much... But I think that we will find a way. That we can fix this. I know it. Our Captain has never been one to give up. To charge in without a hope." Alisa says filled with hope.

"Alisa... I pray that you are right. Now, get moving! Protect your Captain! And when you get there, give him a message from me. If I don't see those two idiots back safe and sound, I'll kill them myself." Tsubaki commands and we all rush to grab our God Arcs and run through the tunnel connecting the Den and Aegis Island.

Winter's POV

After a gruelling fight, the Black Hannibal is almost defeated. It is at this moment that I hear more footsteps and I glance towards the direction they came from, not wanting to take my eyes off of the Black Hannibal.

"Captain!" I hear Alisa shout.

"Is it... Is he dead?" Kota asks while staring at the Black Hannibal's prone form.

"So.. You know then?" I ask but ready my God Arc as I see the Black Hannibal rise, covering its chest before revealing Lindow's human body at the centre of its chest. I hear Sakuya gasp,

Lindow... Lindow, you're..."

"No." Soma speaks in disbelief.

"Lindow, open your eyes. Come back to us! Come back!" Alisa shouts emotionally.

"Lindow..." Kanon speaks sadly.

"Do it..." I hear Ren speak from beside me, holding Lindow's God Arc in his hand. He succeeds in surprising me.

"The heart lies open. If you shirk this chance, it will not come again..." He continues as I stare in disbelief.

'I knew he wasn't human.' I think to myself as I connect the dots as to Ren's existence. He lifts the Arc closer to me.

"Take this Arc he once held and plunge it into him. It's the only way to end this. I reach for the Arc before staring at my hand, having second thoughts before I hear Lindow grunting.

"Forget... Me... Forget all of this... Run!" He speaks.

"Lindow, I know you are sill in there. I know it's still you." Sakuya speaks with hopee.

"Lindow... Man..." Kota utters.

"Still you waver?" Ren speaks, taking my attention again, "I thought you were braver than that. I thought you had made your peace with this long ago."

"You have to run. Flee... Now!" Lindow shouts.

"Never... Never! I won't leave you again. I won't let you make this decision a second time. I refuse, do you hear me? I refuse! Lindow... I..." Sakuya shouts.

"You're coming home. Even if I have to drag you there myself, you are coming home. There's so much to tell you. So many apologies to make." Alisa speaks emotionally.

"The others will suffer if you do not choose. Do you want to punish Lindow? To make him kill his beloved friend?" Ren speaks, bringing my attention back to him.

"I decide... I... I decide... This mess, this chaos, is mine. And I will be the one to amend it." Lindow speaks.

"You have to do it! Release him from this. Release him from his agony!" Ren says and I notice the Black Hannibal has landed back onto the ground after it had finished regenerating.

"Get away... Get away from here. Now! That is an order. I command you!" Lindow shouts but again, Ren takes my attention,

"Take the Arc and kill Lindow! You must finish it!" He shouts and I grab onto the Arc, screaming in pain as the Oracle Cells react with my cells. My arm takes the shape of a Hannibal's Arm and I feel a pressure in my back. The pressure is released from my back and I feel a familiar feeling.

"Winter, you've got wings again?" Kanon seems to question and I look over my shoulder to see a pair of black wings. A pain shoots up my arm and I take a battle stance. I hear the gasps of the others who have realised that I ave another God Arc in my hand. Lindow's to be exact.

"Captain!" Alisa shouts and I wave my left hand to get a feel of Lindow's God Arc.

"You can't run away." I say and lift my head up, "I won't let you run away from living! You hear me?! That's an order, Lindow!" I shout as I rush towards the Black Hannibal with two God Arcs at my side. I see the Aragami prepare to launch its fist at me but I evade it by jumping into the air and I put the two God Arcs in front of me. Effectively separating the Black Hannibal's head and neck until I reach a large core. I let go of Lindow's God Arc and punch the core, sending out numerous waves before my vision turns white.

My vision returns to me and I see Ren looking over me. I look around and see that we appear to be in the Den but it looks unnatural. Seeing my confused face, Ren speaks,

"I assume that when you hit the Black Hannibal's core, our consciousnesses were transported into Lindow's mind. I suspect that we will have to travel the same path as Lindow in order to find him." Ren speaks and I tell him about how ridiculous it sounded.

"You've seen even more ridiculous things have you not? After all, you have wings again." He speaks and I turn my head to see a pair of very large, black wings.

"It must have a wingspan of 5 metres!" I say incredulously, "But it's nice to have my wings back." I say before checking to see if I can move them. It turns out that I can control them very well, just like my old wings.

"Anyway, prepare yourself, Winter. I have a feeling that we are going to run into a lot of Aragami in our journey to find Lindow." He speaks and I notice that my God Arc is positioned right next to me. I tell him that I am ready and we leave Lindow's mind's version of the Den.

We walk out of the Outer Ghetto and away from the Anti-Aragami Wall. We reach the Infernal Subway where we run into our first enemy. Luckily, I have fought a Susano'o before and so this one was no problem. The next Aragami we encountered was an Ouroboros, just outside of the City of Mercy. It was a difficult fight but it didn't put up too much of a challenge. Once it was defeated though, we headed inside of the Church at the City of Mercy.

"This is it... I- I can't believe we made it this far..." Ren says in disbelief as we enter the central part of the church. We see Lindow sitting against the rubble that blocks one of the entrances and Ren walks over to him.

"All this time... Every moment, Lindow has spent battling that Aragami inside of him." Ren crouches down and touches Lindow's face.

"Only now is he losing strength... His conciousness fades, and his heartbeat slows..." Ren speaks as Lindow stirs.

"Huh?... Wh-Who... Who are you?" Lindow asks in surprise before gripping his arm as he releases a scream of pain.

"That is cold, to spoil our reunion with such words. No matter, I forgive you." Ren speaks to Lindow before he walks to me.

"This will be the last I ask of you, and I know it won't be easy. Return his strength. I need you to bring him back. To make him fight." Ren speaks before closing his eyes as I golden glow surrounds him and he transforms into Lindow's God Arc which places itself in my hand. I begin to have flash backs of Ren and it all results in me thinking that Ren was Lindow's God Arc all along. Lindow brings me out of my thought though,

"Was that... Was that who I think it was?" Lindow asks as he stands up.

"Heh... I didn't expect to see you came a long way to find me. Damn... I can hardly even believe it. I heard you. I heard you calling to me, rook. Sorry, old habits I guess. You're no rookie anymore. Nice wings." He speaks and I hold his God Arc to him with a smile on my face.

"You can still fight, right?" I ask him.

"Don't run away from living. I needed the final lesson, didn't I? Couldn't make up my damn mind. Of course I can still fight." Lindow takes his God Arc and gives it a look over.

"Well, if we're gonna do this. Let's do this right. Time for one last brutal stand? Hey, Captain... You're with me, yeah?" He ass and I give a nod of my head. We both see the Black Hannibal enter the church through a hole in the building. We prepare our God Arcs for the ensuing fight...

1 hour later and the Black Hannibal has been defeated. It becomes a black sludge and sinks into the ground but the sludge grows even larger and spreads towards us. Causing us to step back.

"All right... It was all fun and games. Now it's starting to piss me off... This beast does not want to let me go. You ordered me not to run away, so you're with me, aren't you? Until the bitter end." Lindow asks and I voice my agreement.

"Of course, and we're going to win!"

"That's the spirit." He says as we notice the black sludge take on the form of an even larger Black Hannibal. It roars and we prepare our God Arcs. It swings both of its arms at us and I deploy a shield to push against one of them whilst Lindow uses his God Arc too push against the other arm, being unable to deploy a shield since he is an Old-Type. We scream in pain as we attempt to push back the full force of the attack. The Black Hannibal prepares to launch a fire breath attack from its mouth.

"No." Lindow says as he sees the Aragami release the attack.

"I'm not done... I'm going home. Alive. No matter what happens!" He says as his God Arc resonates.

"If that is your wish..." I hear Ren's voice before Lindow's God Arc launches two shields that fight off the arm attack from the Hannibal and the Arc moves itself in front of the attack. The attack pierces through the God Arc and it takes on Ren's form. I take away my God Arc knowing that it would be useless since Ren is already to protecting us from the attack.

"You... You really are my..." Lindow speaks in disbelief.

"So we finally get a moment to speak. From my voice to yours. I always wanted to do this. To speak to are so many things I'd hoped to say. But most important I think, is that I remember it all. Every moment. Every feeling. Every change. I remember your fear on your first day. Your grief at the loss of friends. I remember every twist of your heart when you told your allies to go. When you saved them. I have been so proud, in every moment, to serve as your God Arc, Lindow." Ren speaks.

"And I am proud to have you. I could not have survived a day without you at my side. You... I cannot thank you enough." Lindow responds.

"But you have. Already you have. Your presence was reward enough for a lifetime. Your love, Lindow." Ren finishes as he curls up into a ball and releases a blinding white light, causing me to cover my eyes. When I reopen my eyes, I see that the Black Hannibal has disappeared and that Ren is still in his human form.

"I owe you thanks. Every experience I have had is yours. From the bottom of my heart." Ren speaks to me and I give a nod in response.

"I was happy to have any moment alongside you. Happy to fight with you. It was.. It was fun! Even after I had broken into this new form, I knew... I knew it would be okay. I'd be glad to live on as your God Arc. That juice, it was delicious. Certainly far better than any Aragami. And believe me,I've had my share. Hehehe... This chance means the world to me... This meeting... My friend. I wish we had world enough, and time... I wish we could talk for days... We would fill every hour. It makes me feel so warm to speak with you. To smile and laugh with you. I love it." He speaks to me which makes me feel happy, knowing that I was a good friend for him.

"Still, I think I must go. I think that choice has been made." He steps towards Lindow, "Goodbye. Well, not quite, I will see you soon." Ren extends his hand out to Lindow which he takes.

"Thank you. Thank you, my partner. You're not gone. I'll see you again. I'll see you real soon. I swear it." Lindow finishes his sentence and my vision goes white.

Kanon's POV

It was a shock to see that Winter had grown wings again but it was even more shocking to see what happened afterwards. After a great speach about not giving up on life, Winter charged straight towards the Black Hannibal. I thought that Winter was going to kill him and I'm sure that everybody else did as well. But Winter has sliced open the Aragami's throat and punched the Aragami's core. After a flash of white light, I had seen an unconscious Winter next to an unconscious Lindow. We all rushed over towards them. Sakuya, Kota and Alisa proceeded to Lindow and checked for a heart beat whilst Soma and I headed to Winter and done the same. Winter was breathing and so was only unconscious. I breathed a sigh of relief and I heard Soma do the same.

"He's alive." Soma speaks out loud and I give a nod of my head. We both turn towards the others and see that Sakuya is crying over Lindow.

"What's his condition?" I ask, preparing for the worst.

"He's alive. He's alive!" Sakuya lifts her head and we see a large smile on her face.

'So those are tears of happiness.' I think to myself.

"We need to get them both back to the Den. Kota, carry Lindow on your back. I'll carry Winter." Soma commanded as I helped Winter onto Soma's back. Sakuya and Alisa helped Lindow onto Kota's back and we all ran back to the Den.

We head back to the Den where we see Tsubaki waiting inside. She sees their condition and looks to assume the worst but we tell her that the are both alive but may need medical attention. So we rush them into the infirmary and wait for the medical team to carry out their jobs. After an hour of waiting with the squad and Tsubaki, one of the staff from the medical team comes out of the infirmary and towards us.

"They're both alive and seem to be unconscious because of exhaustion. I predict they will wake up tomorrow." The staff member speaks before re-entering the infirmary. I sigh in relief as I look at the others' responses.

"I'm not surprised that they're exhausted. Winter fought the Black Hannibal by himself and Lindow has been fighting the infection for a long time. It's a relief to see that it is over." Soma says with a small smile on his face. I see that Alisa, Kota and Sakuya have very large smiles on their faces. I turn to see Tsubaki's response and see a few tears of happiness roll down her face before she notices that I am looking and wipes her face and attempts to put up her stoic face. It fails however as she begins to smile again.

"We should let them rest and see how they are tomorrow." Tsubaki states and we all agree. She leaves first, entering the lift while the rest of us remain in the waiting room for a little longer.

"That's another time that Winter has saved the day." Sakuya says and I turn towards her. I notice that she is looking towards me, "You have a great person as your boyfriend." She says with a large smile on her face and a few tears of happiness. I smile in agreement as Kota and Sakuya nod their heads as well.

"Make sure to protect him." I hear Soma speak and turn towards him.

"There will be a time in our lives that he needs our help and we must be there for him." Soma continued which earned him a few looks of surprise.

"I didn't think that you would b the one to say something like that, Soma." Kota states with surprise still etched on his features.

"But he's right. And we still need to apologise to him for before. And now, we need to thank him for bringing Lindow back to us.." Sakuya states and we all agree. We all leave the waiting room and head to our respective rooms, unable to wait until tomorrow when they will both awake and so we decided to go to sleep very early.


	44. Chapter 44

From the Start

Chapter 44

"Speech"

'Thoughts'

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Also, please leave a review. I will be doing a Winter Arc after I have finished with the Second coming of Nova Arc. Earlier in the Fanfic, it was mentioned that Winter wanted to forget the events of what happened on the 13th April. I want you to suggest what the event (or events) could be. Maybe it has something to do with the large number of scars on his torso.

Winter's POV

I wake up abruptly, remembering all that happened and take a look around the room I am being kept in. I start to feel calmed as I see the white-washed walls of the infirmary and lie back onto the bed, allowing myself to calm down. I take a look around to see if Lindow is also in the infirmary. As I glanced to my left, I noticed that he was right in the bed next to mine, and the one closest to the door. I look to the machines around him and see a regular heart rate of 72 beats per minute. I take another glance towards him before turning my head away.

'Wait a minute. What was that?' I thought as I remember seeing something on Lindow's arm. I turn my head to see that his right arm looks incredibly similar to a Black Hannibal's. I stare at it in disbelief.

'Is he still infected.'

"Do not worry." A chirpy voice brings me out of my thoughts, with a shock, as I see Sakaki in the doorway. He moves to the space that separates my bed from Lindow's.

"He is no longer infected. I believe that this" he points to Lindow's Aragami arm "is just a side effect of the infection being stopped so suddenly.

"So he's stuck like that." I say as I sit up, feeling uncomfortable talking whilst lying down.

"Yes but many would prefer this to the alternative." Sakaki says with his usual smile on his face.

"Alternative?" I repeat with confusion.

"You chose to save him, did you not? The alternative would have been for you to kill him." Sakaki says simply.

"Well, I suppose it is better than the alternative. When is he expected to wake up?" I ask Sakaki.

"It'll be sometime soon. His body has went through a tremendous amount of stress with him fighting against the infection. But now, the two of you share something in common." He states which surprises me.

"And what would that be?" I ask, curiously.

"You both have developed Aragami limbs. He has a Corrosive Hannibal's arm, and you have black, Chi-You-like wings." Sakaki finishes and I turn towards my black wings.

"Although, this is the second time they have changed colour. I would like to take a sample, is that all right with you?" Sakaki asks and I give him a nod in confirmation. He proceeds to take a rather large knife from out of his pocket and quickly chops off the tip of my left wing.

"ARGH!" I scream in pain and coil my wing to me. I see a thick black liquid run down my wing. As I marvel at the black liquid, Sakaki proceeds to bandage the wound up. As Sakaki steps away from my now bandaged wing, a stampede of God Eaters crash through the infirmary door. I look towards them in surprise and flick my wing back to its usual position. I see the worried faces of Kanon, Alisa, Sakuya and Kota from the floor as Tsubaki walks in, narrowly avoiding their faces as she steps in front of my bed.

"We all heard the scream." She says simply in a stoic voice.

"Of course we did. It's not something I could forget." Kanon says as she clambers to her feet before coming to my side.

"Neither could we." The other three say as they climb to their feet.

"Sorry about that. I was taking a sample of his, now black, wing." Sakaki explains, "I have grown even more curious about his situation." Kanon latches onto my right arm.

"Winter, you're all right. We were all worried when you had lost consciousness on the battlefield." She says worriedly.

"You're telling me, I thought you were gonna kill Lindow when you charged at him." Sakuya says with a large smile on her face.

"Despite what I said?" I remind her of what I had said before charging towards the Black Hannibal.

"Yeah despite what you said." She informs me.

"You need to have more confidence in the Leader." Alisa states, "I knew you wouldn't rush in without a plan." I just nod to agree.

'There's no need to tell her that I didn't have a plan' I think to myself. I turn to Kota ass he speaks,

"Yeah but you must b the strongest God Eater there is! You defeated the Corrosive Hannibal and saved Lindow!"

"Corrosive Hannibal?" I repeat.

"We had decided to rename it from Black Hannibal to Corrosive Hannibal. Now if you'll excuse me, I have tests to run." Sakaki states as he walks towards the infirmary's door.

"Wait! When will Lindow wake up?" Sakuya shouts and Sakaki responds with a

"Sometime soon" before leaving the infirmary.

"Anyway, we still have some business to discuss." Tsubaki speaks, reminding me of her presence.

"You had stolen a helicopter from the Den..." I interrupt her,

"But it was to make sure I wasn't followed..."

"Regardless, you stole a helicopter from the Den. Under the former Director I would have been told to issue you a punishment..." Tsubaki speaks and I prepare for the worst.

"However, you used the helicopter to find a God Eater that was registered is MIA. Usually, I would still have to give you a punishment but because it was my brother that you rescued, you will not be receiving a punishment." Tsubaki states with her stoic face turning into a large smile, "You shall be rewarded for your efforts."

"I don't need a reward though." I say but Kanon slaps a hand over my mouth. I stare at her inquisitively as I see her look at Tsubaki with an equally big smile,

"He'll be happy to accept any reward." She takes her hand away from my mouth as Tsubaki leaves.

"What was that for?" I ask her.

"You will be getting a reward! From Tsubaki! In all the time I've been here, I have never heard of Tsubaki giving anybody an award. Heck, I've never seen her with a smile as wide as that either!" Kanon explains with a happy face. I can only think that she is contemplating on what the award will be.

"But I don't need a reward..."

"Then you can give it to me!" Kanon says happily before taking my hand into hers as she sits on the chair at my bedside.

"Urgh, what's all the happiness about?" A voice to my left questions the atmosphere and we all turn to see Lindow sitting up with a hand to his forehead.

"Lindow!" Sakuya shouts and almost throws herself into Lindow.

"Hey, hey. Take it easy, will ya?" Lindow says as he grunts in pain before finding the energy to hug Sakuya back. I hear a few sobs from Sakuya as Lindow calms her down. He rubs her head with his right hand before he notices that his entire arm looks like an Aragami's. I can only think of what is going through his head as he remembers what happened.

"Hey, Sakuya." Lindow says as he lifts Sakuya's face up.

"While I was away, I got to thinking about things which includes my very first days as a God Eater. I remembered how you were always beside me. I remember how you would always sound when I got hurt. I remember that you would always b the one to treat me on the field and when I told you all to leave, I felt my heart breaking. I didn't think I would ever see you again. But thankfully, I have. When I was away, I made myself a promise. If I was to ever return, and it was okay for me to return, then I would ask you a very serious question." Lindow says and I hear two people gasp from beside me. I see that Kanon's and Alisa's eyes are fixated on Lindow and Sakuya. I see Kota also staring at them but h remains quiet.

'So they think it is the same thing, eh?' I think to myself and turn back to the two of them with small smile.

"Sakuya, I want you to be in my life. I want you to be beside me for my whole life. Sakuya, will you marry me?" Lindow pops the question and Sakuya nods rapidly with tears flowing from her eyes and the two embrace.

"They're not even together for two minutes and they're already getting married! Why won't you do anything like that?" Kanon shouts towards me and I turn to her in surprise. I see that Kanon has tears flowing from her eyes as well and I stare at her in surprise. Thankfully, Lindow saves me from the conversation,

"I didn't expect to have an audience." He laughs nervously as he puts an arm behind his head.

"We didn't expect you to propose minutes after waking up." Kota responds with a smile on his face. "Bold move, Lindow."

"We're invited to the wedding right?" Alisa asks looking giddy.

"Of course you are." Lindow reassures her.

"Yeah, the whole of the Den will be invited." Sakuya says, moving her head away from Lindow and towards us.

"Great! Come on Sakuya..." Alisa grabs Sakuya by the hand, we've got to get a dress sorted.

"You come too, Kanon." Alisa says and Kanon leaves the infirmary with Alisa and Sakuya.

"Just the three of us now, huh." Kota says, turning back towards us after watching the girls all leave in a hurry.

"You're going to have your work cut out for you Lindow." I tell him with a smile.

"Yeah, I know. By the way, what happened to Ren?" He asks me.

"Wha? Who's Ren?" Kota asks in confusion.

"Ren is Lindow's God Arc's Human manifestation. As for what happened to him though, I can only assume that he is waiting for you inside of your God Arc." I tell Lindow.

"He's a wha?" Kota asks in disbelief.

"You know, I've been thinking. I am going to retire as a God Eater." Lindow states, out of the blue.

"Since when have you had the time to think?" Kota asks with disbelief.

"Well, if you think about it, if I am to be married to Sakuya soon then I want to start a family." Lindow states seriously.

"It's a bit early to be thinking about kids, isn't it?" I ask him.

"Well, it may seem like that to you but you never know when your number will be up. You never know when death will be knocking on your doorstep." He replies.

"But what about the 1st Unit? What about newcomers that xpect you to teach them?" Kota asks.

"I can still teach the newcomers but I'm not worried about the 1st Unit." Lindow states with a smile on his face.

"What? Why not?" Kota asks in surprise.

"Well, the current leader has protected everyone very well since my absence. So I'll leave the 1st Unit to you, Winter. I trust that you will be able to protect everyone, including my fiancée when you're in battle. After all, you saved my life." Lindow says sentimentally.

"Enough of this mush." I say wanting to drop the topic, "You're free to leave the infirmary whenever you find the energy to do so." I say as I get up from the bed and leave the infirmary to go to my room.

A/N: What should be the results of Sakaki's investigation on Winter's colour changing wings? Feel free to suggest me ideas. Maybe Sakaki tells Winter that he has 6 months to live. Maybe Winter will die before Lindow's and Sakuya's wedding.


	45. Chapter 45

From the Start

Chapter 44

"Speech"

'Thoughts'

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Also, please leave a review. As I have received some great inspiration, I have decided to start the Winter Arc now and push back Nova's Second Coming Arc. Feel free to keep suggesting ideas.

To Guest Review: I will most likely start a God Eater 2 Rage Burst Fanfiction once I have finished with this one.

Winter's POV (Timeskip to 13th April)

Currently I am walking through the City of Mercy with my God Arc in hand. As I walk, I reflect on what happened in the past few days.

When Lindow left the infirmary and headed to the lower levels to 'reintroduce' himself, I had expected more of a response from everybody else. Don't get me wrong, everyone there did flock to him and listened to his tale but I had expected something more emotional. You know, hugs, tears that sort of thing. At least Tsubaki gave a response of hugging him. Even if it was unprofessional, I doubt that anyone would blame her for stepping out of the professionalism ways for just a moment. But since then, the atmosphere at the Den was pretty much the same although now people seemed happier and full of hope. I wish I could share in their happiness but, when Sakaki had called me into his laboratory the next day, he gave me some really bad news and I don't think I'll be happy ever again...

(Flashback to the day after Lindow's return)

"You said that you have the results of the analysis of my wings?" I ask as I stand in front of Sakaki's desk in his laboratory. Judging by the way that he is sitting, hunched over with his hands interlocked, it doesn't look like it will be a positive result.

"Indeed. I have good news and really bad news." He answers monotonously, and I won't lie, it scares me since he is always so positive.

"Okay, well tell me when you're ready." I say and brace myself for the results.

"Firstly," He rotates his computer screen so that I can see it, "I have managed to calculate that your lifespan has been increased since the last analysis." He says as he points to a graph on the screen. There were two lines on it, one red and one green. The red line showed my life expectancy from the previous analysis, which dropped after three years, and the green line showed my current life expectancy which drops significantly after 10 years.

"I don't understand. That's really good news isn't it?" I ask, confused as to why Sakaki seemed so depressed.

"Well, I would have said yes but, do you remember the black liquid that flowed out of your wing when I took a sample from you?" He asks me with his expression unwavering and I give a nod of my head.

"Well, that is your blood. Your blood has turned black and turned into a substance similar to the one that Aragami corpses sink into." He states.

"What does that mean?"

"I told you before about the situation regarding your cells right? Well, you still had human blood at that point. Your blood was the only thing that kept you human." Sakaki says.

"You are using the past tense. Is there a reason for that?" I ask with fear building up inside of me.

'My blood _was_ the only thing that kept me human' I think to myself and my fear grows more.

"You no longer have human blood. I have found no human blood cells in the black liquid. You now only look like a human. You are exactly like Shio." Sakaki states.

"Wh-what?" I ask in disbelief.

"You are an Aragami with a human form." He states simply, "I believe that this was caused by the numerous amounts of resonances you have had. This also explains why your wings have grown back and even change colour when resonating with different people."

(End of flashback)

I regain my senses as I stop outside of a building that shouldn't even be standing. It looked to be at least 20 metres tall and looked to have been 'decorated' by a rather large Aragami, considering the size of the crater in the wall. I walk around the back of the building and into something that could have been considered to be a garden. But now, it looks to be a barren wasteland. There was no greenery or anything of the sort, just light brown dirt and a large rectangular stone. I walk towards the stone.

"Another year has passed, huh?" I speak to myself as I sit in front of the stone and read the faint etchings.

 _Aleksander_

 _A true friend._

 _May he find his way._

The stone read and I move my hand across each engraved letter. I am so caught up in all it all that I get a huge surprise when I feel soft hands clasp my own and someone sits next to me.

"Hey Kanon." I greet her and seem to surprise her as I do so.

"How did you know it was me?" She asks with a smile on her face.

"Well, who else would hold my hand like that?"

"Good point." She chuckles, "So what are you doing out here?" She asks curiously, moving herself closer to me as she does so, leaning her head on my shoulder.

"You're getting close all of a sudden." I tell her.

"Well, we haven't had a chance to be close lately, what with me helping Sakuya out with her wedding dress."

"How's that coming along?"

"It looks beautiful. I can't wait until I get married. Anyway, back to my original question," She trails off as she sees the engravings on the stone.

"Aleksander? Was he someone you know?" Kanon asks carefully.

"He was, yes. But he lost his way."

"Lost his way?" Kanon repeats.

"Yeah, Lindow isn't the first person I know that became an Aragami." I say with a small smile on my face, staring at the stone. I see a surprised look in Kanon's face.

"You know, we don't really know much about each other, do we?" She asks and I can't say that she is wrong.

"Well that's gonna change!" She says determinedly, "We're going to get to know each other!"

"I agree, but we should probably get back before someone notices that we're missing."

"Yeah, I guess you're right, but we can talk along the way." Kanon speaks before standing up and dusting herself off. I stand up as well and sling my God Arc over my shoulder.

"Let's go."

We arrive back to the Den and find all the lights are switched off.

"Has there been a power cut or something?" I ask Kanon as we continue walking forwards. The lights suddenly turn on and I can see a number of people sitting around a large table, all staring at me with a sad smile on their faces. I look around and identify the people. There are Kota, Sakuya, Alisa, Gina and Annette. Off to the side is Lindow leaning against the wall with Soma not far away from him.

"Yo, are they all dead?" I joke with Kanon and nudge her elbow. She walks to one of the empty seats and sits down. The rest of them look to her and greet her and thrn proceed to doing their own thing. Alisa plays with her hair, Kota rests his head on the table, Gina plays with her eyepatch and Sakuya and Annette are staring off into space. I turn my head towards Lindow and Soma.

"What's up with them?" I shout across the room, wanting somebody to respond. Lindow just points to the remaining seat next to Kanon and I see Soma look towards it as well. I take the seat and ask,

"What's up with you all?" I ask as they finally acknowledge me. The way they all look up in synchronicity is quite scary.

"Winter, we're all here to apologise. If you can remember, we had ripped your wings off your back..." I look around the table and then look towards the wall, seeing Lindow and Soma staring at the table.

"Listen, I've already forgiven you all for that. Besides, have you apologised to Annette yet?" I ask Sakuya directly.

"Yeah, they have." Annette confirms from beside me with a smile on her face.

"In that case, all is forgiven." I say before getting up to leave.

"Winter, wait!" Alisa shouts as she stands up promptly. I turn towards her.

"Sakaki has told us about your condition..." She begins which surprises me that Sakaki had told anyone.

"We want to apologise. It's because of us that you were forced to have resonances which have transformed you into an Aragami." She says worriedly before she sits back down looking upset.

"Listen, I was starting to become an Aragami long before I started having resonances." I take a breath before taking off my shirt.

"You see, these scars that you were so interested in. They aren't from what you could say as a natural cause." I say before taking another deep breath and standing a few steps back, leaving my shirt on the desk. I tense my torso and see them look on in surprise as spears, similar to Cocoon Maiden's spears emerge from my body. The longest of these spears reaching up to 1 metre in length.

"Kanon. Can you help me out here?"

"Wha-wha you need my help? Oh my God, yes." She says and I can't quite identify the emotion in her voice. She appears to be shocked that I asked for help and then thankful that I did or she was surprised at the situation of me unsheathing spears from my torso.

"Wha-what should I do?" She stutters, as if she is scared that she will hurt me.

"Just, snap off all of the spears." I tell her softly.

"R-Right." She gets to it and snaps off all the spears, painlessly. Once she has though, she realises that I have started bleeding, black blood, from all of the openings that the spears caused. She panics and so do all of the on-lookers but I reassure them that it is normal. I grab my shirt to cover it up.

"I didn't think it was true at first." Sakuya states, "But if you do have black blood then surely the rest of it is true as well." Sakuya looks surprised and scared, as if someone had just killed Lindow in front of her eyes.

"Relax, I am the same person..."

"But you're not. You're not a person anymore. You're a monster!" Sakuya shouts as her fists slam against the table. None of the table's occupants have the same reaction but as I look to each of their faces, I see that it doesn't look like the information has sunk in yet. I look towards Lindow and Soma but from my angle, I can't see their faces.

"Listen, I'm going out for a while. I'll leave you all to let this information sink in." I walk out of the Den. Once the Den's Gate closes, I run.

'A monster, huh? I didn't need you to point that out.'


	46. Chapter 46

From the Start

Chapter 46

"Speech"

'Thoughts'

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Also, please leave a review. Feel free to keep suggesting ideas.

Winter's POV

I run past the City of Mercy and past the Tranquil Temple. I just keep running, paying no attention to my surroundings. Thankfully, I have my God Arc in hand should I run into any Aragami along the way. After an hour of running, I come across my first victims. A pair of Ogretails are munching on a smaller Aragami that I've never seen before. I run towards them and thus grab their attention. These Ogretails are no match for a veteran God Eater like me though and I kill both in two strikes. Once they're dead, I extract their cores and view my work. Looking at both of the Ogretails, I see that I cut them both in half. Smiling to myself, I continue walking.

Sakuya's POV

"You're not a person anymore. You're a monster!" I shout as my fists slam against the table. I see the pain in his face and he leaves quickly.

"Wait... I didn't mean to say that!" I shout in anger.

'I let my scared thoughts overtake me.' I think to myself before I feel an arm wrap around my shoulder. I feel that it is not the same as a human arm and thus I recognise the feel to be Lindow's.

"You know what you said is wrong. We should go after him so that you can apologise." Lindow says.

"No, I think it would be better for him to calm down first." Kota speaks up, "Even he has to take being called a monster to heart." He says and I begin to feel even worse.

"I can't believe I am saying this but I agree with Kota. He'll need time to cool off. I suggest we start looking for him in an hour or so." Soma speaks, knowing how it feels to be called a monster. Luckily for him, nobody brings themselves to question his decision.

"But how will we know where he went?" Kanon asks, I can hear the worry in her voice.

"Doesn't our Armlets emit signals at regular intervals?" Alisa questions and Kota confirms,

"They do, that's how we found Lindow's Armlet."

"Yeah, but I hate to say it, when you found my Armlet you didn't find me with it." Lindow states, making most of the others feel even more depressed, including myself.

"This is my fault. If I had better control of my fears..." I began but Annette interrupts,

"I'll admit, most of this was your fault Sakuya. But we were all scared as well, nobody stood up for him so we're all at fault here."

"How many times must you all hurt, your Captain?" A new voice enters the discussion. As the lights in the Den turn back on, we can see Tsubaki standing at the entrance to the lift.

"And why are you all sitting in the dark?" She asks as she walks over to the table and takes Winter's seat.

"So what have you done this time?" She asks and we inform her of what happened.

"In that case, I agree with Kota and Soma, we should let him cool off first. Don't worry though Kanon, I'm sure that Winter will be all right. We can keep track of him using his Armlet's signals. I doubt that he will lose a battle with an Aragami." She says before taking her leave.

For the next 2 hours we just sit and talk about Winter and how little we actually know about him. Kanon brings up a few things that happened earlier in the day like the fact that Winter once had a friend called Aleksander that "lost his way", just like Lindow had. But Winter brought back Lindow, so maybe it is possible that we can bring back this friend of his...

Winter's POV

I stop walking and move my head to look over my shoulder, viewing my handiwork.

"Well, if they want to look for me, they can just follow the trail of Aragami corpses." I say with a sadistic smile.

"I wonder why they haven't sunk into the ground yet. Is it possible that they won't if they are badly dismembered?" I ask myself whilst viewing the many pieces of a Quadriga that I recently killed.

"You know what, let's go back to my roots." I speak aloud again as I stick my God Arc into the ground and tense my torso, releasing a large amount of spears from my body which I snap off. I pick my God Arc back up and put it onto my back, continuing my walk whilst regaining the feel of my spears.

I had gotten tired of walking and so climbed a tall building and jumped from it, wanting to glide for while. While I was gliding, I spotted a large accumulation of Aragami and thus felt the need to destroy them. I changed my course of direction and headed straight for them. I noticed that there were 3 Quadrigas, 2 Sekhmets, 2 Kongous, 1 Gboro-Gboro and 1 Hannibal.

"Hahaha, this will be a blood bath..." In a sadistic state of mind, it takes seconds to kill the 2 Kongous as I slash at them and hack off their limbs. I look towards the Quadrigas when I feel a sharp pain on my wings. I feel the air rush past my head as the Sekhmets glide past me, hitting my wings in the process. I rush towards the closest one whilst dodging the missiles of two of the Quadriga whilst another one chases me. The Sekhment jumps back but I am ready for it and charge with more speed, slicing off one of its wings and hearing it scream in pain before turning around to slice the other one off. I hide behind the Sekhmet as the two Quadriga fire more bullets in my direction. They hit the Sekhmet, effectively ending its life. I hear something charge towards me and turn my head to see the Gboro-Gboro with it mouth wide open. I jump to the side to dodge it and use a few of my spears to jab it in the the eyes as it turns towards me. It howls in pain and starts launching balls of ice in my direction. I avoid them and they hit the Quadrigas. I use this to my advantage by swinging my God Arc at all of their missile pods and they all disconnect from their bodies. Unfortunately for me though, the first Quadriga I had chopped the missile pods off of had surrounded itself in flames and they hit me, knocking me down to the ground with minor burns. I get up just in time to see the remaining Sekhmet glide towards me which knocks me into the swirling flames of the two other Quadrigas, I howl in pain as the flames burn my skin. I stand up in pain but force myself to move as the Hannibal charges forwards with its arms wide open. I take a swipe of the Hannibal and it narrowly avoids. Enraged at it mobility, I swipe at the Sekhmet as it glides towards me. It can't hit me however as I slice it in half. I hear a Quadriga charging in and jump to the side. I jump up to slice its head off and revealing its core. I stab it and it falls to the floor. I hear the sounds of the other two Quadrigas charging at me from my left and right. I move forward and they crash against each other. I jump once more and swipe their heads off as well, also revealing their cores. They collapse to the ground, headless and unmoving. I don't have the time to extract their cores as the blinded Gboro-Gboro charges in my direction and swipes its head to the side. Luckily for me, it was the wrong side and I jump up to and behead it, using the force of gravity for assistance.

"Now, only the Hannibal remains..." I turn my head from side to side to locate it. I see that it is standing at some distance behind me and it seems to be backing away while watching my cautiously. I sprint towards it as it continues to back away. I have never ran so quick in my life that I feel thrilled by it. I jump up, realising that the Aragami hasn't attacked. In fact, it appears to be going out of its way not to attack me. My God Arc alls on its head as I hear a faint,

"Winter..." in a voice that I remember very well.

"Aleks!" I shout in surprise but due to gravity, my God Arc connects with the Hannibal's neck, decapitating it, killing it instantly. Killing my friend instantly...


	47. Chapter 47

From the Start

Chapter 47

"Speech"

'Thoughts'

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Also, please leave a review. I love to hear your ideas so keep suggesting!

Winter's POV

The Hannibal hits the ground with a sickening thud. My God Arc soon follows as I fall to my knees, feeling a deep pain in my chest.

"I've killed my friend?" I repeat several times with my chest tightening in pain every time I say it. I feel tears fall down my face as I come to terms with what I had just done.

"My friend... I could save Lindow but not him?!" I feel my voice rising and my anger growing with each utterance. My anger grows to the point where I pick up my God Arc and run, thrashing at everything including buildings and Aragami. Even the most fierce of Aragami go down in a few strikes. I release all of my anger by thrashing at everything that moves, but when I run into an army of Aragami, things get more troublesome.

Kanon's POV

We (Lindow, Sakuya, Soma, Alisa, Kota and I) have been following Winter's signal for hours but he just keeps getting further away. We've already had to hear Sakuya crying about all of this being her fault. The sooner we find Winter, the sooner Sakuya will see that he is fine and the sooner she can apologise.

"According to his signal, he has stopped about 1 mile North of where you are now." Hibari says over all of our radios.

"See, not long now and you'll be able to apologise, Sakuya." Alisa says as we all run in the direction that Winter's signal is coming from. As we run, we notice the corpses of a lot of Aragami.

"Why haven't these sunk into the ground yet?" Kota asks as we come to a stop to regain our breath.

"I can only assume that they are too damaged. I mean, look at how many pieces they've been chopped into." Lindow reasoned before looking as though he was talking to his God Arc.

"There's so many corpses. Winter must have been angry." I say quietly before realising that Sakuya noticed as she grew more depressed.

"Anyway, we should keep moving, he may not stay in the same place for long." I say, wanting to rush everyone along and wanting Sakuya to apologise before she gets more depressed. I hear everyone agree with me before we continue running.

We begin to close in on the signal, all the while running past countless Aragami corpses.

"He still hasn't moved, this is our chance!" I shout through my exhaustion, happy that we're catching up.

"Yeah." Alisa says from beside me and I notice a small smile on her face. We stop running about 100 metres away from where Winter's signal is being emitted from as we see Winter kneeling on the ground in front of a decapitated Hannibal.

"That's strange. Why hasn't he butchered that Aragami like has did for the others?" Lindow asks.

"Yeah, that is strange." Soma whispers.

"Now's your chance, Sakuya." Alisa tells her and Sakuya leads the group as we head to him.

"...save Lindow but not him?!" I hear Winter whisper."

'Wait, what is he talking about?' I think to myself as Sakuya begins,

"Winter, I..." That's all that happens before Winter picks up his God Arc and starts swinging his God Arc like crazy whilst running at a pace I didn't know was possible. I could see the look on his face as he swung at everything in sight. It was a look of pain and anger. I hear Sakuya muttering something incomprehensible and turn to her. She has a face of grief.

"Don't worry, Sakuya. I'm sure he's not like that because of you." I try to reassure her but it doesn't work.

"Listen, I'll take Sakuya home to rest. Bring Winter back safely." Lindow says, wrapping his arm around Sakuya's shoulders before nodding to Soma and heading back the way we came.

"Right, come on everyone we should follow Winter to make sure he doesn't do anything stupid." Soma says, taking charge of the group and we all comply. I look to see their expressions and notice a scared look on both Alisa's and Kota's face, Soma looks to be usual although he seems to look more determined. We all keep gong forward in hopes of finding him.

About 1 hour later, we hear from Hibari that Winter has stopped again. We move into action, wanting to catch up with him more than ever. We continue running through fields of slaughtered Aragami and finally find where the signal is coming from. Winter's Armlet, in the jaws of a slaughtered Hannibal...

Winter's POV

There was a Hannibal in the group of Aragami that I was to torture. I was able to defeat the rest of the Aragami without such much as breaking a sweat but for some reason, I couldn't fight the Hannibal. It was as if I could feel the fear that went through me as I decapitated my friend. It's as if my body was preventing me from fighting it and truthfully, I was kind of thankful.

'Is this an infected person too? Are Hannibals born through the infection of humans?' I think to myself as the Hannibal towers over me. I feel its breath as its head reaches closer.

'Shit! It'll eat me!' I think to myself as I try to raise my God Arc to block the attack. It doesn't reach in time and the Aragami tears my right arm off, and thus severing the connection to the bias factor.

"Argh!" I scream in pain and anger with all of my resolve to not kill the Hannibal fading. I tense my body to release the spears from it and grab a few of them. I jump up and stab the Aragami in the eyes. The Aragami drops my severed arm on the ground but keeps a hold of my severed hand and Armlet. I ignore its pained screams as I snap off more spikes and jab it into its body. After jabbing it with 10 more spears, it falls to the ground where I extract the spears and jab them right back into the Aragami. It dies in a matter of seconds. I attempt to lift my God Arc up with my left hand but it doesn't allow me to. The Armlet that God Eaters use provides the strength needed, in the Bias Factor, to operate the God Arc, and without an Armlet, I cannot operate a God Arc. I collapse to my knees in exhaustion and hear the sound of the black blood dropping from my arm. I stare towards my severed arm that sinks into the ground.

"I really am a monster." I repeat several times before walking away from the Hannibal. I don't get too far away when I hear footsteps approaching.

Kanon's POV

I look away from the Hannibal with tears in my eyes, yet I don't want to believe that Winter is gone. But turning away proved to be more detrimental as I see a pool of a black liquid near a God Arc. The tears flow freely down my face now as I collapse to the ground in sobs. I soon her someone else collapse and turn towards the sound. I see Alisa on the ground staring at the Armlet whilst chanting something in Russian.

"There's no way." I hear Kota say in a depressed tone.

"He's not dead!" Soma shouts so that we can all hear it.

"Think about it, if he had died while facing this Hannibal then how come the Hannibal isn't dead? He's still alive! And he will be somewhere around here! We just need to look! Look!" Soma continued, reigniting our flames of hope.

"Yeah. You're right. Look, there's a pool of blood leading away from here. And it's black so it must be Winter." I say.

We continue in the same direction, following the trail of blood and not 10 minutes later, we see Winter's shadow. We run towards it and he must have heard us as he turns around.

"Winter!" I shout as we run closer to him. We get to about 15 metres away from him before he completes his turn and shows is no longer covered in his shadow.

"Hey," He greets us, "Do you think you can call a helicopter for me? I can't contact Hibari." He says as he lifts his right arm, well what's left of it. I'm sure he sees the looks of disgust on our face as he stares at his arm as well. The fact that his arm is missing and he is so casual about it is what worries me. I hear the sound of liquid hitting the floor as his arm still bleeds. I also hear the sound of two big loads of liquid hit the floor. I turn to my side to see that Kota and Alisa have thrown up and they gag in horror. Alisa falls to the ground continuing to throw up.

"Hibari, we need a medical helicopter now!" Soma says as he runs the other 15 metres towards Winter and rips off a part of his hoodie, temporarily bandaging Winter's arm. I also run towards Winter to close the distance as I grab his left arm and sob into his shoulder. He tells me that everything will be okay and I want to believe him, but it is difficult to believe him when he has his right arm missing. Soon, the helicopter arrives and we ride it back to the Den, where Sakaki quarantined Winter in the room that was once Shio's.


	48. Chapter 48

From the Start

Chapter 48

"Speech"

'Thoughts'

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Also, please leave a review. I love to hear your ideas so keep suggesting!

Winter's POV

I understand why I had to be quarantined since I no longer receive the Bias Factor but did they really have to chain me up as well? Sakaki had installed a reinforced glass door so that he can check on my status and so I can look out but this is like a prison! He keeps telling me that I'll only be locked up like this until he can figure out if I have been infected, but I've been in here for at least three days! The only thing keeping me from going crazy is the people that visit me but it feels like I am some sort of exhibit at a zoo. Sakuya apologised to me the other day, but I'm sure she only apologised because I am locked up and can't do anything about it. Not that I would refuse her apology. The days keep getting worse but the most intriguing event happened 1 hour after I got locked up in here. As I was talking with Kanon, I felt a pain in, what remained of, my right arm. She must have noticed as she enquired about it but that brought the attention of Sakaki who had to drag Kanon away from me as I underwent excruciating pain. Thankfully though, the pain was my arm growing back and, although there were deformities as it grew back black, I couldn't have been happier to have it back. It felt great to have two arms again but Sakaki needed a sample from it. In the present though, I can see Sakaki and Tsubaki heading over to me,

"Once again, we're sorry for keeping you locked up in here but we needed to make sure that you weren't infected." Sakaki says.

"What would I be infected with? Human cells?" I question sarcastically, reminding him that I am, in his words, "an Aragami in human form".

"Well, I am glad you can see the humour in it because Sakaki here tells me that you are not infected." Tsubaki states with a slight smile.

"Indeed. It appears that the absence of the Bias Factor has not affected you in the least. Though, since you do not have an Armlet anymore, that does mean that you will have to have a new one. You remember how you got one in the first place, correct?" He asks.

"So, I am free but I need a new Armlet. Okay then, let's get started." I say with no emotion whatsoever, remembering the pain I went through the first time.

"There is one problem though, I hope you are ambidextrous as we do not want to risk installing it onto your new arm." Sakaki says as he enters my quarantined zone and unlocks the chains keeping me against the wall.

"But I'm not." I reply.

"Well, you'll just have to learn to use your left hand for combat now." Tsubaki states as the two of them accompany me to God Arc Storage Area 2's Training Room.

After a painfully excruciating time for my left arm, I have now been introduced to a new Bias Factor, that's what Sakaki tells me anyway. He stays to watch over me training with a left handed God Arc and analyses the results of my training. I leave the training room and meet up with him in Storage Area 2.

"The results were perfect. It looks like you really are ambidextrous."

"But I said I'm not..."

"These results say otherwise. Anyway, you're free to get back out on the battlefield." He says as he takes his leave. I walk over to where my old God Arc is being held.

"You miss it?" A voice from my left asks and I turn to notice Licca.

"Yeah, of course. I have a connection to that Arc that I don't have with this one." I keep my head locked onto my old God Arc as I lift my current God Arc up.

"You've got a lot of memories with that Arc, huh? You know, you could take the parts off of your old one and equip them to your new one." She says.

"Nah, I'm going to leave my old Arc like that. I'll just upgrade this one with the materials I have stored away. You'll take care of my old one, right?" I ask her with a nervous smile.

"Of course, it is my job." She says with a smile which eases my nerves.

"I knew I could count on you, Licca." I respond with a smile on my face.

"I'm going to upgrade this now." I move past her.

"Hey, wait. I've just thought of something. Your old materials are stored under your Armlet so you won't be able to use them." Licca says, stopping me as I turn to her.

"Sakuya gave me my old Armlet when she apologised to me the other day, so all I'll need to do is transfer the equipment over." I tell her before heading off to the crafting room.

After an hour of crafting, my God Arc looks better than ever. I upgraded it using 1 Royal Ice Wing, 2 Royal Bones, 1 Royal Ice Armor, 1 Arctic Fang and 1 Arctic Barrel to make it become the Freak Lapis N + 2.

"And now, I'll find Kanon." I say out loud and leave the crafting room. It doesn't tke long to find her as I see her staring at my old Arc.

"Kanon." I say and grab her attention.

"Winter, hey!" She greets me before turning back to my old Arc.

"Don't worry about it, Licca said she'd take good care of it. Anyway, want to help me break in this new Arc?" I ask her and she accepts my invitation. She rushes to get her Arc before we leave the Den. We walk into the City of Mercy where we find three Vajratails and a Kongou.

"Would you mind taking care of the Kongou for now?" I ask her.

"Okay!"She says, preparing her sadistic mentality to slaughter the Kongou. I rush forward while Kanon stays back to shout the Kongou from a distance. I, on the other hand, prefer to slaughter my enemies with as little energy as possible, so while balancing my body to adapt to the Arc being in my left hand, I calculate the best possible moves to defeat the Vajratails. I see one of them prepare to pounce at me whilst the other two launch spikes towards me. I evade the spikes and swing my God Arc upwards as I duck under the pouncing Vajratail. I cut it in half, effectively and rush towards the other two. They jump back and I pursue them, cutting them both in half before turning my attention to the Kongou. It wasn't until I turned my head though that I found out that it was pursuing me. It was rolling towards me with at a tremendous speed.

"Winter!" Kanon shouts as I feel something jab into the side of me and pushing me out of the way of the Kongou. I turn to see that Kanon was the one to push me out of the way and the Kongou gets to about 10 metres in front of her. She doesn't move, paralysed with fear.

"No!" I land harshly but get back up at a speed I didn't think I had in me as I stand in front of Kanon with my right hand out in front of me. I close my eyes and feel it hit my hand, I don't feel anything else after that though. I open my eyes to see the Kongou backing away in pain. I keep my eyes on the Kongou as I ask Kanon what happened.

"When it hit your hand it suddenly stopped and backed away." She says with a surprised expression on her face. I move my hand to touch her on the, exposed, shoulder and she doesn't react to it at all. I hear the Kongou preparing another rolling attack and I rush towards it with my right hand in front of me. As my hand comes into contact with the Kongou, I am met by a surprised reaction. The Kongou flies back and crashes into a building. Although surprised, I see this as a chance to kill the Kongou and rush towards it, preparing my God Arc's Predator Mode. I succeed in devouring it and run back to Kanon, grabbing her shoulders with both my hands.

"You idiot! Why did you push me out of the way?!"

"You were going to die!" Kanon shouts back in anger, "You should have been more careful!"

"But you were about to die! If the Kongou didn't react like that to my hand then we both could have died!"

"I didn't want to see you die! You're too important to me to lose!" She shouts back with tears in her eyes which surprises me.

"All of my life, I've been losing people I care about! My dad! My brother! Many of my friends! I didn't want to see you die too!" She shouts.

"Kanon, I don't plan on dying any-time soon." I tell her comfortingly.

"Nobody plans to die! We could die tomorrow! We could die on our way back to the Den!" She shouts and I take her into my arms. I feel my shirt getting wet as she lets her tears out onto it. A couple of minutes later and she has released all of her tears and is beginning to calm down. Five more minutes pass before she is calm enough.

"Hey, Kanon..." I say and she gives me a "hm?" with her still hugged to my chest. I place a hand on her chin and push her head up so that we are looking into each other's eyes. I move my head towards her and give her a kiss on the lips, keeping my eyes open to see her response. I see surprise in her eyes as they drift to the side before finally closing and mine do the same. I release her seconds later so that we can breathe and she closes the distance between our lips again, taking me by surprise as she stares off at the side again. When we split, I ask her about it,

"Kanon, why were you staring to the side?"

"Well, erm, your wings..." She points towards them and I tilt my head. I notice that my once black wings have now turned to a pale pink but that wasn't the most important thing. I notice that at the end of each wing, is a large claw with the same colouration as my wings.

A/N: I'm not sure where to go from here. Keep suggesting ideas!


	49. Chapter 49

From the Start

Chapter 49

"Speech"

'Thoughts'

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Also, please leave a review. I love to hear your ideas so keep suggesting!

Winter's POV

We walked back to the Den hand in hand after the earlier incident with the Aragami. However, I couldn't continue to walk around the Den whilst holding Kanon's hand out of embarrassment so I let go as we did.

'I just hope that Kanon will understand.' I think as I head to Sakaki's office. I can't help but notice everyone staring at me. The most nerving part is that I know why they're staring at me as well. It's not every day that a person walks in with pale pink wings with claws at the end of them, which is exactly what I want to see Sakaki about. I walk into his office without knocking.

"Sakaki, I have an update and I'm sure I don't need to explain it." I say as I close the door behind me and walk up to his desk. There sits a smiling Sakaki.

"Ah, a pink? Would I be correct in assuming that you had an intimate moment with Kanon?" Sakaki asks with a smug smile on his face. Don't ask me how I knew it was smug, I just got the feeling that it was. I don't dignify him with a response, just an annoyed expression.

"Well, judging on how you haven't denied it, I'll assume that I was correct."

"Listen Doc, I've grown claws on my wings as well..." I say, pointing out the new features. He frowns,

"I've noticed. Tell me, during yours and Kanon's moment," I seriously think about hitting him right now, "Did you have a resonance?" Sakaki asks. I think for a while before reaching a conclusion,

"No, I didn't."

"I see. Did she?" He asks with his voice laced in curiosity.

"I'm not sure. I didn't ask. I didn't think it was possible." I say simply, "Why do you ask?"

"Remember, I hypothesised that the reason your wings keep changing colour is due to resonances. So if they've changed again, and you claim not to have had a resonance, did Kanon have one instead?" He asks and I can't help but wonder about the possibility that Kanon had a resonance.

"I thought it was unique to the New-Types." I state.

"We only thought that because it occurred between the New-Types. We don't have enough evidence to conclude that resonances occur only between them. Anyway, you should go and find out if she did have a resonance, it could be essential to our research." Sakaki dismisses me and I leave his office.

I head to Hibari's desk to see if she can tell me where Kanon is but I am told that she left the Den not long ago.

"Well, I'll just have to wait until I get back." I speak aloud.

"Yeah, sorry about that." Hibari apologises.

"It's fine. I'll probably go and work on my Arc now. When Kanon comes in tell her I'll be in the crafting room in Storage Area 2." I tell Hibari and give her a wave as I set off for the crafting room. Before reaching it though, I drop by my old God Arc.

"I thought I heard somebody in here." Licca says as she emerges from the corridor lading to the crafting room.

"Yeah, I see you've been taking good care of her." I look to my old God Arc.

"Her?" Licca repeats, "I didn't think you were the type to personify their God Arc."

"Yeah, well, I've been missing it." I say and she turns away, saying something that I don't listen to. I feel my eyes being drawn to my God Arc and soon enough, my arm is drawn to it as well. I feel my hand touch it which releases a bright white light. I notice Licca turn back towards me to identify the source of the light but she turns back around due to its intensity.

"What are you doing?" She asks, covering her eyes with her arm and looking towards me.

I find myself looking back towards her as the light intensifies.

"All I did was touch it." I state and the light dies down. We look back to the God Arc and find it not there anymore.

"What?!" We both say. I extend my hand out to touch the position it was once in and notice a glimmer in my arms. Licca must have noticed it too,

"Your arm looks like the night sky." She comments, with my arm now looking as if someone spilled glitter into a liquid. The white specks constantly travel up and down my arm as if my arm was a liquid. I bring myself back to my senses,

"That doesn't matter at the moment, I want to know where my old God Arc went." I say, looking away from my arm and towards my old Arc's case.

"Well, since there is only the two of us here, nobody could have stole it. I have a theory on what happened... You know that Lindow's God Arc can be released from his hand? Well, I believe it may be the same case for you. Somehow, when you touched your Arc it sent white specks into your arm. This might be the energy of your God Arc. Come with me, Winter." She says and leads me to the training room.

"Go inside here and try to release your God Arc from your hand."

"I can attempt to but I don't think that is what happened." I say before entering the training room.

After numerous attempts to release my God Arc from my hand, it finally happens.

"Great! I knew that was the case!" Licca shouts in excitement.

"This is great and all but how do I bring it back?" I ask as I move my hand in the opposite way of what I was doing before.

"Just keep trying. You'll get it eventually." Licca says and I continue to try to put y God Arc back. Moments later, my God Arc retracts back into my arm.

"Yeah! See! I told you! Now keep doing that until you get the hang of it!" She shouts and we continue to test the extraction and retraction of the God Arc. Hours later, Licca tells me that she thinks I've trained enough.

"Just a thought, but what will happen to my new God Arc?" I ask her.

"Well, since your body has already been injected with the Bias Factor for it, I suppose that you will need to keep using it." She says with a hand to her chin.

"But I have this God Arc though..." I say and make a hand gesture, making the God Arc come out.

"Yeah well, you could die if you are not in regular contact with your new Arc so, I suppose you will be the very first Dual Wielding God Eater..."


	50. Chapter 50

From the Start

Chapter 50

"Speech"

'Thoughts'

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Also, please leave a review. I love to hear your ideas so keep suggesting!

To CrimsonAegis: I've got you covered.

Winter's POV

After being told by Licca that I would be the first Dual Wielding God Eater, she reported this finding to Paylor Sakaki, the Director and the Chief Supervisor of the Aragami Technology Development department which is news to me, seeing as how Sakaki never mentioned that to me. Sakaki then summoned me to give him a demonstration of my ability to release my old God Arc from my hand. He had called Lindow in as well so that I could train Lindow how to use it as effectively as me. Tsubaki was called in at the same time as him and was told about these new developments.

Right now, I was walking back to my room after training Lindow until 22:00 when I suddenly remember that I needed to see Kanon. I complete a 180o spin and head back to the lift, pressing the button for the Rookie Section.

"Kanon moved into my old room soon after I moved into Lindow's..." I say quietly to myself whilst tapping my foot, impatiently waiting for the lift to stop at the Rookie Section. After 20 more seconds of foot tapping, the lift stopped and I left it, walking straight to Kanon's room.

"Kanon. Hey, Kanon. Are you in?" I ask as I knock a couple of times on the door. I hear movement from inside as well as a "Hang on!" from Kanon. A few seconds later, Kanon opens the door and leaves the room, shutting the door as she does so and standing right outside of her room. I find this suspicious but don't dwell on it.

"Hey, Winter. What was it that you wanted?" She says with a smile on her face and her hands behind her back.

"Hey, I wanted to ask you something earlier but you were out at the time."

"What was it that you wanted to ask me?" She says with her voice rising slightly higher, as if she was nervous.

"Actually, when we... erm... kissed earlier, did you see anything?" I ask, slightly nervous about talking about an intimate earlier. A puzzled expression crosses Kanon's face,

"See anything? I had my eyes closed so I couldn't see anything."

"What I mean is, did you see images of my past?" I ask.

"What do you mean by th..."

"Your eye is twitching."

"Wha?"

"I've noticed that your eye twitches when you lie." I explain in more depth.

"B-but... I'm not..." Kanon starts but a bang from her room startles us both.

"What was that? Do you have someone in your room, Kanon?"

"Wha? Wha? N-no..." She stutters but we hear more movement from the room.

"So what's all the noise?" I ask sternly and watch her stumble for words. She's saved by the door opening and Alisa popping her head out of the room with a nervous smile on her face,

"You caught me, huh?"

"I didn't think that you'd give up that easily. I would have thought that Kanon would make up an excuse like having rats in there and I would go in to _exterminate_ them." I voice my opinion.

"So what were the two of you doing?" I ask Alisa.

"Kanon told me that she wanted to tell me about _something that happened earlier_ and wanted to talk to me in her room. We had just started talking when you knocked." Alisa says, moving away from the door as Kanon and I enter Kanon's room. I head over to the couch where Kanon sits opposite me with Alisa next to her.

"So, Kanon, I'm assuming that you did, in fact, have a resonance." I state simply with my head hanging over the couch

"I guess you figure it out." She says and I look at her incredulously.

"I thought resonances were unique to the New-Types." Alisa says, looking between the two of us.

"That's what I thought but when Sakaki said there was no evidence to suggest that resonances were unique to us." I reply to Alisa before turning my attention back to Kanon.

"So what did you see in your resonance?" I ask, already knowing the answer to some extent.

"Well, you said it earlier. I seen parts of your past." She says with a nervous smile on her face.

"I see, this must be what you wanted to talk to me about. I mean, when Winter seen my past, he was the only one I could talk to about it until he helped to tell everyone about my history." Alisa says with a hand to her chin in the thinking position.

"Yeah, I wanted your help to talk to Winter about it since he helped you with your past." Kanon tells her.

"That's fine. I'm happy to help but is your past really so bad as to need other people's help?" Alisa asks me and I give a shrug.

"I've forgotten a lot about my life." I tell them and they believe me. "Anyway, what exactly did you see?" I ask Kanon.

"Well, I didn't see too much. Only a few images that I was hoping you could explain." She says with a finger to her chin.

"Well, what were the images?" I ask and bracing myself to explain what will no doubt be some bad memories.

"I'll start with the first image; I saw you living in what looked to be a small town. You were running outside of a rather large building." She describes the image.

"That sounds normal." Alisa comments before turning to me, waiting for my explanation.

"Ah, yeah, I was living in a small town with my family and getting up to the typical child-like shenanigans." I reflect on my memories.

"That sounds normal." Alisa says again and we turn to Kanon to let her describe the next image.

"In the next image, I seen the very same building on fire." Kanon states and it brings a sad smile to my face. I look down and reflect on the memory.

"That doesn't sound good." Alisa states and I feel them staring at me.

"That day, an Aragami attacked the town. I now know that it was a Hannibal. The Hannibal caused the building to be set aflame." My sad smile grows. "After a little argument with my family and friends, I jumped out of the building from the fifth floor. I ran to the entrance to wait for them to leave the building but they never did." I feel the tears begin falling from my face and I lift my head up so that it is now tilting over the couch, just like it was before we started this discussion. I hear one of the two come over and sit next to me, they must have noticed my tears.

"The building collapsed, crushing all those that I had known at the time." I close me eyes as I am forced into the shoulder of the person by my side. I don't care who it is, I just needed to release my tears. This isn't my most painful memory after all. Once I have calmed down, I lift my head from the person's shoulder and notice that it was Kanon.

"What was the next image?"

"That was it after our first kiss but then when I kissed you again, a couple more images flashed through my head. The first one was just a forest." She states in confusion with a small, sympathetic smile on her face.

"Just a forest? Were there any more details?" Alisa asks.

"It's all right, Alisa, I know what she saw." I tell her before sitting in my former position.

"Well, after I had lost my family and friends, I had to fend for myself. It was difficult to live as a child in an Aragami infested world so I mostly had to use forests for cover. If I would find anything that looked edible, I would take it. When I had the time, I would craft weapons. I ran across a recently deceased Cocoon Maiden once and thought about using its spikes as weapons. It took a while to get used to the pain that touching an Aragami directly caused me but I got over it. In fact, my body adjusted to it."

"That sounds rough." Alisa comments and I hear a hum from Kanon, suggesting she agrees with her.

"I remember coming across some wild mushrooms," I continue despite their gasps, "My stomach ached for a long time but ate them poisonous mushrooms because there was a chance that they weren't. Hunger can make you do strange things. Anyway, the next image?" I ask Kanon.

"Well, the last one I had saw was you and a boy that looked to be your age."

"Do you remember any details about the boy?" Alisa asked

"No details are needed. I only met one other person while I was out on my own. His name was Aleksander." I said.

"Was?" Alisa questions my use of the past tense.

"Aleksander? Wasn't his name on the stone that I seen you at the other day?" Kanon asks.

"Yeah, Aleksander was the one that _lost his way_. I'm sure I told you that Lindow isn't the only person I know that became an Aragami. But the troubling thing is, Aleksander became a Hannibal." I feel the sad smile on my face returning.

"Do you remember when Sakuya said that I was a monster?" I ask them and wait for their response. They both nod and apologise for not saying anything at the time.

"Well, she upset me greatly in that day and I was enraged. I thought I was invincible and started slaughtering Aragami left, right and centre. But..." The tears start flowing again. I feel Kanon direct me to her shoulder but I fight against it.

"That day, I came across a Hannibal."

"I remember seeing you kneeling in front of a Hannibal." Alisa comments.

"Yeah. I noticed that the Hannibal was backing away and I rushed towards it, jumping into the air as I got close to it." The tears flow at an even quicker pace than before. I tilt my head down towards the floor and I feel Kanon's arms on my shoulder. I also feel a hand on my head that couldn't be Kanon's. It would be at an impossible angle to be her hand so I correctly assumed it to be Alisa's.

"As my God Arc was coming down, ready to decapitate it, I heard it say my name." I hear their gasps,

"The Aragami talked?" Alisa questions, confirming my suspicions that they hadn't caught on yet.

"That Hannibal backed away and I rushed towards it. It said my name before I decapitated it. That Hannibal was my friend Aleksander." I say it and hear them gasp again. I feel hugs from both my right and left side and feel my shoulders getting wet.

"I killed my friend!" Their grips tightened and I sobbed into the night.


	51. Chapter 51

From the Start

Chapter 51

"Speech"

'Thoughts'

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Also, please leave a review.

A lone Vajra stumbles across a sight that it did not expect to see. Another large sized Aragami had appeared within its hunting grounds. The Aragami looked similar to it except that it seemed to sport a pink and white colouration. It was feeding on a recently deceased Ogretail that looks to have been killed fairly quickly. The Vajra walks closer to the Aragami and roars in an attempt to scare it off. The Aragami looks towards the Vajra, hearing its roar, and shows a feminine face as well as a head of pink hair. The Aragami doesn't back down as the jaws of the Vajra open and it runs towards it. In a matter of seconds, the Vajra takes its last breath before the newcomer feasts on its core before moving onto all four paws as it sprouts features identical to the recently killed Vajra. It roars before flexing its new appendages and retreats into the safety of some large boulders.

Soma's POV

I awake to the sound of an erratic beating of the high-tech computer to my right.

"The hell?" I stare at the computer as the erratic noise disappears.

"Heh... Mind's playing tricks on me." I say, leaning back in my chair before the erratic beating starts up again on the computer to my right.

"Wait, What?!" I say as I sit up and fiddle with the communications button on the computer in front of me.

"Soma here. Someone tell me what's going on!"

"Are you certain they're devour marks? Damn... Where are they?"

"Acknowledged. Stay where you are. I'm en route to the Outer Wall right now. I'll come meet you." I say before promptly leaving to grab my God Arc in the event that I run into any Aragami whilst I'm out there.

Winter's POV

After an emotional night, the entire 1st Unit was called up to Sakaki's office. As I walked to his office, I found myself thinking that I wanted Kanon and Alisa to spread the word about my past. I would hate to have to explain the whole thing again. I even remembered a few things from my past that I had forgotten due to the resonance. I walk through the door. I must be the last to arrive as Sakaki starts talking, hushing the whispering in the room at the same time.

"Good day to you all, and thank you for joining me."

"What can we do for ya, Doctor? Oh, hey! Soma's back! What up, Soma?" Kota greets him and I turn towards Soma and give him a nod of acknowledgement.

"It's good to see you all again." He greets us.

"*ahem* New information has com to light concerning that anomalous Bias Field you've been encountering as of late." Sakaki says, reminding us of the comments in our reports about how difficult it has been to kill Aragami recently. Although, after my bout of rage, I haven't seemed to have too much trouble with exterminating the Aragami.

"To begin, let me give a summary of our intelligence-"

"Doctor. Perhaps, I should..." Soma interrupts.

"Of course, Soma. As you wish." Sakaki complies with Soma's hidden request.

"This way we can skip the... Usual proceedings. I have reason to believe that a second Nova has been born in the Far East." Soma introduces the topic of discussion.

"Another one?! Soma..." Sakuya speaks up.

"Since the events of the Ark Project, I've gathered up all unstable Nova fragments I could find. I wanted to have them accounted for. A temporary facility was constructed on Aegis, to hold them is stasis and eventually dispose of them. Then, yesterday, we discovered a hole had been gouged out of the containment field." Soma continued.

"No!"

"Say what?!" Kota joined Alisa in voicing their opinions on the subject.

"Most likely, one of the fragments deteriorated to a point where it could no longer be contained, kick-starting its drive to devour. Speculation suggests that the fragment is still within the Far East, and has taken the form of an Aragami. The inspections weren't thorough enough... The response wasn't fast enough... I failed. And another monster was unleashed upon the Far East." Soma continued.

"Don't worry about it, Soma. We are here to destroy all those monsters and this one will go down just like the rest of them." Kanon says to a dejected Soma.

"I agree, Soma, we will accept none of this. The fault lies on more shoulders than you know. I was responsible as well. Knowing you were overworked and understaffed, I gave you yet another massive project to undertake." Sakaki says in an attempt to reassure Soma.

"You didn't let the beast out of its cage!" Soma responds with vigour.

"Soma, it doesn't matter whom the fault lies on. What matters now is that we tackle this problem as a unit." I voice my opinion.

"In any case... This presumed Nova has not been roaming free for very long." Sakaki says with a hint of a smile on his face, presumably from my comment. I lean forward and whisper into Sakuya's ear,

"If only I had come across it during my _angry time_." This elicits a small chuckle from Sakuya and I see a slight nod of her head. I turn my attention back towards Sakaki but not before noticing a peculiar look on Kanon's face.

"It's power is still mostly potential, contained in its Larval stage. However, should it manage to reach adulthood... I doubt even the entire 1st Unit could defeat the beast. Suffice to say, we must slay this creature. The sooner, the better..." Sakaki states.

"Doctor Sakaki, I beg of you... The fault is mine. This disaster is of my making. Let me be the one to amend it." Soma attempts to reason.

"Enough, Soma." Sakaki's words silence Soma with an,

"Of course, Doctor."

"This Nova is an incredible threat to us here in the Far East. I expect you to proceed with caution. I will do all I can to track the beast. However," Sakaki looks directly at me, "I believe that this Nova will target you if you ever come across it." He states.

"Why's that?" I say, slightly panicked.

"When you fight the beast, stealth will not be a very good option for you. It may sense your Aragami cells and target you as it's next snack." He says and he succeeds in scaring me.

"And congratulations on recent events. I've learned more about you due to your recent conversations..." He says with a smile on his face and looks towards Alisa. I immediately know what he means.

"Well, that's good news. It means I won't need to explain it to you then. But can I ask, who doesn't know?"

"I would assume the entire Den knows by now so don't worry about it." Sakaki says.

"Good. Now I won't need to explain to anybody then." I say with a small smile on my face and notice Sakuya and Kota squirm.

"I wouldn't be too sure about that. It is likely that people will thinkk of these as rumours and nothing more."

"Well, shit..." I say in response bfore he dismisses us. Once we all leave the office, I am met with the voices of Kota, Sakuya and Soma, wanting to know if the rumours were true...


	52. Chapter 52

From the Start

Chapter 52

"Speech"

'Thoughts'

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Also, please leave a review.

Winter's POV

After 10 minutes of explaining to the group that the rumours were true, I decided to head to Hibari's desk to see what my mission for today would be. When I arrived, Hibari looked to be focussed deeply on her work.

"Hibari?" I try to get her attention.

"Hibari." My second attempt fails. After failing to gain her attention, I decide to look at the computer she focused on. It appears that there is a rather large blip on a radar that looked to be about 10 miles away from the Den. I turn back to Hibari before deciding to move my hand in front of her face. That seems to do the trick as she jumps back, startled.

"Oh, Winter. You didn't need to scare me like that." She says, regaining her composure.

"Sorry but I tried to grab your attention before. Anyway, what were you so focused on?" I ask her.

"Oh, right, Sakaki had told me to keep an eye on a certain said that he already told the 1st Unit about how dangerous it will be. He got in contact with me to arrange a mission for you, Soma, Kota and Alisa to exterminate it. Apparently, this Aragami could cause a lot of trouble in the future if it isn't dealt with now." Hibari tells me.

"Okay, I'll get my stuff and head to the roof. Can you tell the other three that I'll be waiting up there for them?" I ask.

"Of course. Make sure you are fully equipped. We don't know what this beast is capable of so be careful." Hibari tells me before I move to get my God Arc.

After equipping my God Arc and multiple healing items, I made my way to the roof where I jumped into one of the helicopters. The pilot gave me a greeting and I gave him one as well but other than that, we sat in silence, waiting for the others to arrive. About 15 minutes later, the rest of them arrive and take their seats, greeting me and the pilot in the process. Soma decided to sit next to me so Alisa and Kota sat opposite us.

"Okay guys, time to discuss the mission plan." I started as the pilot lifted the helicopter into the air.

"First of all, I want Kota and Alisa to stay back and use small OP consumption bullets to constantly bombard the Aragami. Soma and I will use melee attacks. Alisa, once you have ran out of OP, we will swap places and we will keep rotating in that effect. Kota, I hope that you have got a lot of OP restoring items with you." I focus my attention on him and he looks sheepishly back at me. He rubs his neck and stays silent.

"Kota, I will transfer a bullet recipe to you when we land. This bullet is very weak but it will allow you to build up your OP again."

"Wow! There are really bullets like that?" He asks with a surprised look on his face. Alisa punches him in the back.

"Idiot! Of course there are bullets like that! How can you call yourself a God Eater if you didn't know that!" She says and causes an argument between the two of them.

"Actually, it will be easier for Alisa to transfer the bullet recipe to you." I say as I look at Alisa. She squirms under my gaze.

"Alisa?" I enquire about her actions.

"Actually, I - I don't have any bullets like that!" She blurts out, obviously embarrassed about the situation. The fact that I have a surprised look on my face probably didn't help either.

"Ha! You don't even have any bullets like that either, and you're calling me an idiot!" Kota says and starts another argument. I sigh in exasperation and hear Soma chuckle beside me. I ignore him.

"I'll give you both the recipes for the bullet." I say but I doubt they could hear me over their argument.

After an eventful trip, the four of us were on the ground of the City of Mercy. Soma was keeping watch while I transferred the bullet recipes.

"Before we start hunting, can I ask what bullet you have that consumes the least amount of OP?" I ask them both.

"12" Kota responds.

"30" Alisa says at the same time.

"Both of them are too high..." I sigh again befoer turning to Soma, "Soma, keep scouting. These two incompetent boobs need another recipe." My comment definitely made Soma laugh as Kota and Alisa voiced their disagreement.

"I'm not a boob nor am I incompetent!" Alisa shouted.

"If anything, Alisa is the incompetent boob." Kota says and starts the third argument in less than 15 minutes.

"Do you guys want the recipe or not?" I ask, getting fed up with their antics. Thankfully, they had shut up for long enough to transfer the recipes.

"This bullet only uses 4 OP. It doesn't do a lot of damage but you get to bombard the enemy with them. I have given you both the recipe for the Divine bullet."

"Hells yeah! Now let's get to some Aragami hunting!" He shouts and runs in Soma's direction.

"Hey! Didn't your mother ever teach you about manners?" I shout.

"Thanks Winter." Alisa thanks me as she puts a hand on my shoulder before running in the same direction as Kota.

"I swear you two will be the death of me." I comment after the two of them, cllearly forgetting the plan, decided to run ahead.

I caught up to them very quickly as they had stopped at the corner of the church. I assumed that the Aragami was around the other corner and slowed my pace so that I didn't alert it. I took up a position in front of Soma who was leaning against the wall and occasionally peeking at the Aragami. Once I get a good look at it, I turn back to the group and give a nod of my head, signally the start of the plan. Soma and I walked out of our hiding place, making sure to make as little noise as possible. This didn't work though, as the Aragami stuck its head up and turned towards us. It glared at us, with its gaze eventually focusing on me, but we ran towards it. I made sure to duck under its swinging arm and used my relatively new left-handed God Arc to swipe at its arm, leaving a small mark on it.

"This is going to be a long battle..." I say after seeing that the mark didn't really look that deep.

The battle lasted 20 minutes before the Aragami fell down and didn't move. It had taken us on a long ride and we eventually took it down inside of the church.

"And thus Kota saved the day. The End!" He says happily.

"Strange... My God Arc wouldn't respond. Every command I gave was met with a struggle." Alisa comments.

"Super weird." Kota agrees.

"God Eaters, respond! Are you sure you killed it?" Hibari asks over the radio and I don't like the fact that she had to ask. I step closer toward the Aragami to double check that it was killed. I turn away as Kota asks,

"Uh, yeah... Looks totally dead." He looks towards me and I give a nod to confirm.

"Guys, the Nova's Oracle Response is still stable! Something's wrong! She shouts over the radio. I hear movement from behind me,

"Get back!" I shout as I turn towards the Aragami. It stands to its full height and towers over me. I get my God Arc ready for action when it suddenly drops its head towards me. I manage to roll my body out of the way but I feel something pulling me back. Looking back towards the Aragami, I see that it has grabbed both of my wings with its teeth. I feel the pain building and I let out a scream as it rips them both off me before it does a back flip and lands on one of the ledges in the church. I collapse onto my knees in pain and hear the footsteps of the others as they walk in front of me to protect me from the beast, in case it wasn't happy with an appetiser and wanted the main course. I managed to stand and turn around as I see the Aragami chomp on my wings before tensing. After a couple of seconds, the Nova grows pink wings that looked very similar to mine.

"There's no way." Alisa says breathlessly.

"It ate them..." Kota says in disbelief before Soma finishes in the same tone,

"and it grew a pair exactly like them." I share their disbelief but at the moment, the fact that my black blood was pouring out of my back was more important to me. Luckily, the Aragami didn't want the main course just yet and escaped. Soma calls in for a medic helicopter but I reassure him that as long as I can stop the bleeding then I will be fine. In the end, a medical helicopter did arrive and I sat on one of the beds whilst they tried to stop the blood from escaping. Apparently, Kanon was with Hibari when Soma asked for the medical helicopter. Kanon must have went straight to the roof to climb in as she was now helping the medical team to stop the blood from pouring out of my back. She looked very professional but I could tell that as soon as I was patched up that she would either cry into me or reprimand me for being so careless.

A/N: Winter is, once again, wingless. This is an opportunity for you to recommend part of an Aragami that you would like Winter to grow instead. There is the option to keep the wings but I feel it would be more exciting if he grew a different Aragami feature instead. You can even decide on the colour and the situation in which he grows it. Send me a personal message to participate. Alternatively, you can participate by reviewing. If you don't want your review to show up in the review section then please say so in the review.

Also, sorry about not updating in a while. I had found a great FanFiction and wanted to finish it before continuing.


	53. Chapter 53

From the Start

Chapter 53

"Speech"

'Thoughts'

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Also, please leave a review.

CrimsonAegis, that is an excellent idea. As soon as I had seen it, I decided to get straight on with this chapter.

Winter's POV

Two days had passed since the incident with the Nova and it has been an irregular two days. I had expected my wings to grow back in the first day but for some reason they didn't. The rest of the Den had found it strange as well. I had consulted Sakaki about it and he had ran a test and found that my cells were not forming a wing-like structure. He's still running tests on a new sample that he obtained. Right now though, Licca requested my presence and told me to meet her in God Arc Storage Warehouse 2.

"Hey there!" She says as she spots me.

"Hey, Licca. What was it that you wanted me for?" I ask her curiously.

"Hibari told me that the Nova managed to trick you guys, as well as what happened to your wings." She looked depressed.

"Don't worry about it, Licca. At least now I look more human." I tell her the positive side of being wingless.

"Anyway, Hibari wanted me to do some research, so I took a look at the combat log. Oooh! That is a nasty piece of Aragami. In a perfect world we'd have ourselves a little pow-wow about our options, but you and I know time is not on our side. Where do I start... Um... Hey, did anyone ever tell you how the Outer Wall works? The big ol' one that encircles the whole branch?" Licca asks.

"Nobody ever did but I made my own assumptions from what has happened in the past. Basically, the wall is made of Bias Factors that don't appeal to Aragami." I answer truthfully.

"Yeah, that's about right. I guess that would be the super-super-super basic explanation. From what I discovered, the second Nova operates on the same principles. The super-super-super basic ones. It's got a ton of different Bias Factors inside because it devours other Aragami and absorbs them. And with it munching your wings, it will have the Bias Factor given to the New-Types of the Den. You see? Yeah? Kinda? No? Okay, it's like this..." Licca thinks to herself about how she can explain it to me. She must have seen the incredibly confused look on my face.

"Your God Arcs react to the Nova the same way that Aragami react to the wall. It's an unappetising combination. This, I imagine, is why Alisa's God Arc wouldn't function right. You see where I am going with this? The Nova will keep Devouring, keep taking in weirder Bias Factors. And that means our weapons will become less and less effective as the monster gets strong. Still, gotta keep your chin up, right? Stay positive! We'll find a way to break through that defence. Plenty of research still to be done. And you know me, I'm real good at research." Licca finishes with a chuckle

"Yeah, I'm trusting that you will find a way to break its defence, Licca. It's all up to you." I tell her with a smile and give her a thumbs up.

"Don't pile the pressure on me." She laughs before retreating elsewhere. Meanwhile, I begin to get thirsty and head to the Rookie Section so that I can grab a drink from the vending machine.

Once I reach the vending machine, I notice Kota sitting near it. I push a few buttons and deposit my Fenrir Credits before the can falls into the tray. I pick it up, open it and take a drink.

"I hope Soma's doing all right..." Kota says before turning towards me.

"He's been back and forth between his lab and Sakaki's for days now. I don't know when he's sleeping... If he's sleeping." I sit down next to him and hear him out.

"I guess he dug out some of his mother's and father's old research notes or something... That's what he said, anyways. He was grumbling about his dad, and you know how Soma gets when he's on a rant like that. He can curse very creatively. But... He had that look in his eye. It was driven, but almost excited. I was glad. Really. He seemed to be getting past all this. Accepting his parents, regardless of the, uh... Problems. And then the Nova they created turns into something like this. It's more than one guy should ever have to deal with. Heh... It'd be way too much for me to deal with. Argh! It's the same thing that happened with Alisa! I... I don't know how to help him. How to... Make it better again. And of course I always come whining to you for help..." He groans.

"Listen, you're just as much a help to me as anyone else. Trust me, Kota, if it wasn't for your positivity, I would have probably gone crazy by now. I bet it's the same case for the rest of our Unit as well. You and Alisa argue a lot but you both seem to enjoy winding the other up. Lindow and Sakuya laugh at your antics. I'm sure that Soma also appreciates how you can always be positive as well." He reply.

"You... You serious? Like, actually serious? Well, all right then! I'll totally make it happen! Let operation: Laughing Soma begin!" Kota says enthusiastically before using a more depressed tone,

"It's only now I realise that I've never gotten him to crack a smile."

"That's what you see, but he turns away quite often. Don't you think he is just trying to hide it? He wants to have a cool guy attitude?" I ask Kota.

"Yeah, you're right! Well, Cap'n, I'd love to stay and chat but I have an operation to plan. See ya later." He says as he retreats to his room which isn't more than five metres away from where we were sitting. I stay seated while I finish my can before also retreating to my room on the next level of the Den.

After a two hour break in my room, it was finally mission time. The team consisted of Kota, Soma, Alisa, Sakuya and I and we were to hunt the Nov again. Hibari had tracked it down to the Tranquil Temple and currently, Sakuya is giving us a mission briefing.

"The Nova's in the area, fan out and track it downn. This mission will consist of two groups. Soma, Alisa and Kota are in one group whilst Winter and I are in the other. When you have confirmed the target, signal for back up. We'll converge and face it together. Understood?" Sakuya asks and we all give a nod of our heads.

"And remember, there have been reports of multiple Sekhmets in the area. It'll be important to clear them out before we move in on the Nova." Sakuya says and the first group leaves. We take our leave soon after. We soon encounter a Sekhmet but it is no match for Sakuya and I and we kill it in less than 5 minutes. Unfortunately, as we turn the corner, we see a sight that can not be unseen. Group one had been defeated and the Nova stood less than 10 metres away from them.

Group 1's POV

"No sign of the Nova out here either..." Alisa says as the group continue walking.

"Guys, check out the moon! It's freakin' huge" Kota says in awe.

"And if the moon was our target, we'd have found it already!" Alisa responds harshly, walking in front of Kota to give him a stern look. Meanwhile, Soma continues walking before he comes to a stop and gasps.

"It's up there every night, you know!" Alisa responds in the same tone as before. Soma makes to hide himself behind the wall, gaining a confused look from Alisa in the progress. As if sensing her confusion, Soma speaks,

"The Nova's nearby." Soma sticks his head out and sees that the Nova grows closer to them. As of right now, it was walking to a ledge. It roars very loudly before jumping from the ledge, using its wings to guide it a little further away than where it would have landed.

"Captain! We've got the Nova right here! It may have spotted us, so get over quick!" Kota speaks into his radio.

"Capt-? That's bad... The signal cut out!" Kota announces.

"Now?! We can't beat this thing. We'll have to fall back." Alisa says, keeping a professional tone. But Soma completely ignores her and walks out of the hiding spot with the intention of confronting the Nova.

"Soma!" Alisa shouts in protest of his actions.

"Seriously?" Kota asks in disbelief.

"This monster roams free because I let it... And I will be the one to cut it down." Soma says as he prepares his God Arc. Seconds later, he charges at the Nova.

"Really? Is he really doing this?!" Kota shouts in disbelief.

"We can't let him do this alone!" Alisa growls before also charging towards the Nova. The battle didn't even last for one minute. Group 1 had been defeated.

Winter's POV

I walk closer to the defeated group in utter disbelief.

'No way! They've been defeated!' I thought to myself as I seen the Nova backflip onto one of the structures connecting the buildings together. It appeared to be watching for our move. I charge towards it.

"I'll cover you!" Sakuya shouts and shoots towards the Nova. It backflips to avoid the shot before launching a unique type of spears towards me. I weave my way in and out to avoid them before meeting the Aragami head on. My God Arc connects with its shoulder before I pull it back and swipe three more times. I then jump to swipe at its head before continuously slashing at it. Sakuya shoots a mortar at it which narrowly avoids both, the Aragami and I. The Aragami roars in an attempt to intimidate us.

"Nothing's getting through!" Sakuya shouts from beside me. It launches a ball of electricity of us which we both roll to avoid. The Nova charges towards me and I roll away from it again. Unfortunately, I roll as far as I can go as I hit my back against a wall and drop my God Arc in surprise. The Nova quickly towers itself over me and rears its arm back, preparing to hit me. Time seems to slow as its arm draws closer to me.

'I can't give up. The Unit needs to get back safe!' I think to myself.

'The most important rule is to \make it back alive' Lindow's words repeat in my head.

'Don't run away from living!' I hear myself shout towards Lindow.

'But how? How do I get everybody back safely?' I think to myself and feel my anger grow as I can't think of how to protect everybody. I hear a bullet near me and look up to see that Sakuya is shooting numerous bullets at the Nova which stops it from hitting me with all its force. Instead, it sweeps me away and towards the fallen Group 1. I land a couple of metres in front of Soma and feel the anger continuing to rise. I lift my head in great pain to see the Nova charging at Sakuya. It moves to make a killing blow and once again, time suddenly stops. I feel a great pain in my back.

"Arghhh!" I scream out of anger and pain. The pain eventually subsides as I feel new appendages grow from my back. The anger continues to rise but eventually stops as I grow to capture the attention of Nova which has taken a great interest in the new developments. I charge towards it with my new appendages paving the way which gives me a good chance to see what they are. I appear to have grown very long muscular arms with massive claws at the ends of them. There are also small spines running along them. I notice that, like my wings before, these new limbs have a light pink colour to them. After a few seconds, my mind returns towards me and I continue my sprint towards the Nova with my right arm shifting into my old God Arc. The Nova rushes towards me as well and we meet in the middle of the battlefield. My claws gripping onto the Nova's arms. Amazingly, I manage to pick up the Nova and throw it towards the temple, it breaks through the wall as it does so. It quickly gets back up and charges towards me. The momentum is on its side as I am launched into the wall opposite the Nova, the difference being that I use my new appendages to rebound from the wall and spring towards the Aragami with even more speed than before. I slash at the Nova with my God Arc and manage to hit it in the eye, leaving a scar in its place. I continue slashing towards the Nova with my anger steadily increasing even more as I see that it doesn't fall. I growl again in response to this and my vision turns red. I keep slashing at the Aragami whilst my new limbs keep scratching at it. I manage to get a few more good hits in before red electricity appears in a radius of 10 metres and electrocutes me, sending me flying into the wall. Unlike before, I couldn't react quick enough to ease the impact. Despite the intense amount of pain, I get back up again and charge towards the Nova but not before a figure jumps between the Aragami and I. I stop my run as I recognise the figure. I notice the Nova also stop its charge.

"Shio!" Sakuya shouts.

"No... It can't be you." Soma says as he clutches his God Arc.

"How'd you..." Kota say breathlessly.

"It's really... Really her!" Alisa says in surprise. The Nova roars.

"Move out of the way, Shio!" I shout and feel the anger in my tone of voice. It surprises me but I once again tell her to move in an attempt to scare her. She looks at me before looking back at the Aragami and releasing a chronic sound wave. The only way I can tell that it is chronic is that it causes me to fall to the ground and clutch my ears in pain. I look up to notice that the Aragami also looks to be in pain. Shio stops her screeching and I stand up, calmed but still able to fight. To my surprise, the Nova backflips onto the building before taking its leave. The fact that it limps away amuses me but the surprise of seeing Shio again overwrites that. I stare as a dark mist encircles her before launching into the air and out of sight.

"What in the world was that?" Sakuuya asks in disbelief.

"Come in! Please, answer! Situation report, anything?" I hear Hibari's voice over the radio.

"We're here. We're okay, Hibari. Send a medical helicopter ASAP." I answer her and hear a difference in my voice's tone and pitch. I feel a stare from Sakuya aimed towards me. "Win-Winter? What happened to your voice?" Hibari asks over the radio which confirms my suspicions of my voice being affected by my new appendages.

"Your voice is a hell of a lot deeper now." Sakuya whispers but I manage to hear her.

"You'll see when we get back, Hibari. Send a very large medical helicopter." I tell her as I look to the sides of me and stare at my pair of three metre long arms and 1 metre long claws, totalling four metres.

"Okay, I have already dispatched the medical team in the helicopter. Kanon seems to be with them. I would recommend that you also see them urgently." Hibari tells me before her radio switches off.

"We should prepare them to be picked up." I tell Sakuya.

"Yeah, by the way, your voice seems to be a lot angrier now." She tells me as we walk to the fallen Group 1.

"I don't feel angry, so I wonder why I sound it." I state and prepare lie Group 1 on the backs, ready to be picked up.

10 minutes later, the medical helicopter arrived. Kanon soon jumps out of the helicopter and embraces me. I can feel that she was scared by my voice and new limbs.

"Oh, Winter." She continues to hug me.

"Don't worry, Kanon." I tell her with my arms wrapped around her.

"I'd love to stay like this but the I need to put these guys in the helicopter." I tell her as I reluctantly let go. She does the same. I give her a smile before I pick up the closest person to me, Alisa, in my arms. At the same time, I pick up Kota in my new claws. I walk to the helicopter where I give Alisa to the people at the door. I lower my claws to give Kota to the next team of people seeing as how my new appendages are too large to enter the helicopter. I walk over to Soma and pick him up in my arms before also dropping him off to a medical team waiting in the helicopter.

"Well, Sakuya, I'm going to have to walk back. Tell Sakaki about what happened and why I am not with you guys." I tell her as I help her into the helicopter.

"Also, tell him to make a few _extensions_." I emphasise and point to my new limbs, hoping that she'll get the message. Thankfully, she does and chuckles before the helicopter lifts off.

"Be careful, Winter!" Sakuya shouts and I soon see a lock of pink hair next to Sakuya's hair. I instantly know that it is Kanon and even if I couldn't, the fact that she shouts,

"Don't get hurt!" is proof enough that it is her. I just continue to wave at them before they have gained enough height that I couldn't see them, although they could probably still see me.

"Don't get hurt? I'm already injured." I say as I start my long walk back to the Den, limping occasionally.

"It could have been worse though. At least I wasn't knocked out." I say aloud, reflecting on the conditions of Alisa, Kota and Soma.

A/N: Think of Winter's new appendages like the arms on a Chrome Gawain, only coloured in pink. I want more romance moments in this Fic but I am terrile at writing and coming up with these situations. Can you please give me some ideas so that I could create more romance.


	54. Chapter 54

From the Start

Chapter 54

"Speech"

'Thoughts'

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Also, please leave a review.

CrimsonAegis, that is another great idea! I haven't read Summer Wars but I looked it up and it looks like it'd make a great Arc.

Subzero Dragon, I love your ideas as well. I hope you both continue to give me some ideas.

Winter's POV

Walking back to the Den had been exhausting. It is a 30 minute ride back in a helicopter so it is considerably longer by walking. Thankfully though, it wasn't time wasted. I kept training my arms to do simple tasks and could even move each claw individually. There had grown a time that I became so tired of walking that I just used my new limbs to walk there. These limbs had caused me a bit of trouble when I entered the Outer Ghetto. Luckily, Karel, Shun and Gina were on guard and was made known about my condition so, although they were surprised, they knew about my new limbs. Therefore, I can deduce that Sakuya told Sakaki about what happened. I can only hope that he has made a few improvements to the Den to meet my new condition. But even hope can only take you so far. It's only been about 2 hours since the fight and that is not enough time to make any improvements. Thankfully, I can manoeuvre my new arms to be placed behind me so I can get through doorways like normal, but it will take a lot longer before I can actually get my whole body (new limbs included) through the door. As I entered the Den, I decided to go straight to Sakaki's office to ask about the conditions of Alisa, Soma and Kota.

I knocked on the door to Sakaki's office and entered at his words. He was no doubt surprised at my new appendages.

"Three of our own. That monster managed to bring three of our best to their knees..." Sakaki began and I caught him glimpsing at my arms every now and then. He was definitely curious.

"They'll survive- thank goodness- but they will be laid up for quite some time to recover. Longer still before they can fight again. I... I am truly sorry. This was a disaster. I should have seen it coming." Sakaki apologises.

"The second Nova is growing at a pace unprecedented. I didn't see that risk. I didn't predict it. That monster must have Devoured countless Aragami by now. Likely, a sea of twisted and chaotic Bias Factors are warring within it. We have to face the possibility that engaging the Nova in combat is not a viable option. If even our vaunted 1st Unit stood no chance..." Sakaki started but I interrupt.

"Actually, thanks to my new limbs I was able to fight at an even match against it."

"Yes, Sakuya told me about the fight. You looked to be destined for death before you grew them." He stands up and walks closer to my oversized limbs.

"I will require a sample. May I?" He asks and I give a nod of my head, allowing him to use a knife to cut off a portion of my oversized arm. It hurt a lot but I was able to overcome the pain.

"You know Doc, I've been meaning to ask but I thought knives wouldn't work against Aragami and therefore Aragami limbs." I speak in confusion as to how he is able to take samples.

"Ah, well," He begins as he takes his seat and places the sample under his desk, "This knife is similar to your God Arc. This is how I am able to take samples."

"Ah. Anyway, we seen Shio during the battle. She's the one who stopped it actually." I tell him.

"Sakuya provided me with a preliminary report of the encounter. It's interesting to say the least. The girl may very well have been Shio. Except... We've seen no evidence of any other Singularity or any anomaly. Suffice to say, a much deeper investigation is in order." Sakaki informs me.

"Ah, well, what about the Nova? How do we counter it?" I ask.

"To be honest... I don't know. I am at a loss. No... No. There is one possibility! It would need the entire 1st Unit in prime form if it is to end better than our last attempt. Oh, it's crazy, but it just might work. We'll wait, however. No point in getting everyone's hopes up. Once the others have fully recovered, we can broach this again. It all comes down to this: We cannot afford to press the Nova. The Den would be defenceless if it chose to attack us here. Moreover, until everyone is back on their feet, I am... Hesitant to plan further strategies. I know a lot of pressure just fell upon your shoulders, but I have every confidence in you." Sakaki finishes.

"Speaking of the rest of my Unit, what are their conditions?" I ask.

"I am yet to receive any more news. However, I have been told that they are in a comatose state." He answers.

"You mean they are in comas? How long until they wake up?" I say, slightly panicked at the recent news and fearing for their health.

"We are not sure. More tests will have to be run. I will call you back up here if I receive any more news on the matter." He dismisses me. I walk towards the door.

"I'll close it after you, seeing as how it would cause you a large pain to do it yourself." Sakaki says, almost considerately. So once I have left the door, and I have walked about 5 metres away from it, he closes the door behind me.

"What to do now?" I ask myself before moving to the lift. Luckily, I can bend my new limbs so that I can fit inside of it but it leaves very little room for any others that might be wanting to use the lift.

Kanon's POV

I had just finished tending to an unconscious Soma when the members of the medical Unit showed up to take over. I thanked them for this as my hunger caught up to me. So I left the infirmary with the hopes of getting something to eat in the cafeteria.

"That reminds me, I'll need to check on Winter. There's no doubt that he is blaming himself for all of this." I think aloud before pressing the button in the lift that will take me to the cafeteria floor. After walking down a small corridor, I came to the doors of the cafeteria and opened them. I grabbed a tray and headed to where I would be served. After 10 seconds, I had grabbed my food and turned around, looking for a place to sit. I was quite shocked as I realised that Winter was sitting in a corner, by himself and that the tables near him were not being used. It seemed like the other God Eaters had made it a point to not sit next to him. Well, sitting next to him may have been impossible because his new limbs had covered the immediate area around him. However, being his girlfriend, I walked over to his table and sat opposite him. He appeared to be staring off into space but that changed as I came into view.

"Kanon?" He asks, surprised at my appearance. The fact that his voice is still as deep as it was earlier just adds to the hilarity factor. He look to what he is eating and see that he has the same thing as me, the only difference being that he has taken very few bites of his food.

"Something wrong with the food?" I ask him.

"Wha? Oh. No, there isn't." He answers.

"There isn't? Then why haven't you eaten anything. From the looks of it, you have been here for a while." I ask, confused s to why he hasn't eaten much.

"Oh, yeah. Sorry about that, I was just thinking." He states sheepishly.

"Thinking? Of what?" I ask him, hoping to shed light on his thoughts.

"Well, about me and Aragami. You heard the news that I am basically an Aragami in a human form, right? Well, what is it that actually makes me different from other Aragami. I mean, I have a lot of Aragami tendencies. I have had wings. I now have these massive arms. My right arm has regenerated. I'm starting to believe that I really am an Aragami in human form. I never wanted to believe it at first and I fought against that but there may be a time when I endanger everybody. All of my friends, even you. But I still believe that I am human. But what is it that actually makes me human?" Winter speaks his thoughts which riles up a whole lot of emotions in me. I feel surprised that he can think that, upset that he can speak that, happy that he knows that he is different than an Aragami but distraught that he is wondering what actually makes him human.

"You know, I don't really think that you're any different from me." I say, looking directly at him and making sure to have a smile on my face. He enjoy his surprised reaction but I continue,

"Ever since you became a God Eater, you have always been looking out for others. When we first met, you didn't want to worry me about your past and you still didn't want to until just recently. If we didn't have that resonance, I wouldn't have gotten you to talk about your past. You are human, no matter what happens. Think back to when Shio first appeared in the Den..." I begin.

"Yeah, I tried to kill her. Had it not been for Sakaki..." Winter interrupted and I interrupt him,

"You wanted to kill her to protect us, but once you had gotten to know Shio a little bit, you didn't feel that way any more. Shio may have had Aragami cells, like you do, but she was a human."

"I don't follow." Winter states his confusion. I smile at this, he doesn't get confused very often.

"Shio was a human. She was a girl that always wanted to learn. Shio was always interested in you. When we first met her before we brought her into the Den she was always following you. She was curious as to what you were. She became exactly like you. Shio learned how to become human and you were her inspiration." I explain using Shio as an example.

"So, what exactly makes a human?" He asks, still confused. His question rattles my brain,

"I don't think I know the answer to that just yet." I say and I can hear the sadness in my voice. Not wanting to get caught up in my own sadness, I quickly brighten up.

"I know! How about the two of us go for a picnic sometime?" I ask him with excitement lacing my voice. He appears surprised at my outburst but eventually answers.

"Uh, yeah. Sure."

"Great! Then..."

"Not today though. I'm still exhausted from the battle earlier." He interrupts which deflates my mood but I try not to make it show.

"Oh, then how about tomorrow?" I ask.

"If I'm not doing anything..."

"Great! I'll get the stuff prepared." I shout in excitement, leaving the table and my food to prepare for tomorrow.

'Just you wait, Winter. Tomorrow is going to be a great day!' My thoughts scream in my head.

Winter's POV

After Kanon's outburst, she had promptly left. I quickly demolished my food and put Kanon's in the bin before walking back to my room to get some much needed sleep. I was out as soon as my head hit the pillow.

"Winter. Report to the Director's office immediately." Hibari's voice came over the intercom which made my awake instantly. Still wearing yesterday's clothes, I ran out of my door and to the lift. It wasn't until I turned myself around in the lift that I had seen the damage I had caused with my new limbs. I could clearly see that the wall around my doorway had two visible prints of where my limbs had smashed through them. Looking at the corridor, I could see that my claws had left marks along the walls leading all the way until the corridor got wider.

"Let's hope nobody notices." I say to myself as the lift doors close has the lift moves to the Director's office's floor.

As the lift comes to a stop, I walk towards Sakaki's office with my oversized limbs kept behind me. I walk straight into Sakaki's office, since he is expecting me, and walk over to his desk.

"I have news." He starts. "Firstly, I have discovered that your new limbs are similar to that of a Gawain."

"Gawain?" I repeat in confusion, having never heard of that Aragami before.

"Yes, a Gawain. They are common in the North American continent. Similar to a panther, however they have massive limbs similar to yours, only not in pink. I can only assume that your limbs are pink because of your most recent resonance with Kanon. In other news, it appears that our Medical Unit is running out of materials used to treat our patients."

"Is there anything I can do?" I ask him, wanting to help.

"I'm glad you asked, I want you to collect some Aragami materials to help with the speedy recovery of your comrades."

"Of course." I reply.

"You will need the materials of an Aether. A particularly nasty Aragami." He responds.

"Of course, I'll get right on it." I say as I move for the door.

"Take Kanon with you. See if she can help with that problem of yours." Sakaki's words stop me.

"Problem?" I repeat, confused. Sakaki gestures to his throat and I get the message.

1 hour later, Kanon and I have managed to make it to the Tranquil Temple. Thankfully, Sakaki had ordered a larger helicopter, specifically for me. I will have to thank him later. When we jumped out of the helicopter, we landed on the ground a mere 2 metres away from the Aether. Thankfully, I seen a great opportunity in this and used my claws to ram the Aether to the ground, causing a head bond to break. It fired a few mystic balls in my direction and I was forced to release my hold on it to avoid its attack. Once I had avoided it, I charged straight back in with my old God Arc as my right hand, my new God Arc in my left hand and my new limbs angled towards the Aether.

"Wait! Don't charge in so recklessly! We need a plan!" I hear Kanon shout from behind me.

"The sooner we kill it, the sooner we can give its materials to the medical team!" I shout back and jump up to the Aether. Unfortunately, the Aether creates a forcefield which pushes me back several metres. I get straight back up and run towards it, jumping and swinging my God Arcs at it whilst my claws try to hold it in place. Thankfully, the Aether's forcefield collapses and my claws grip it firmly in place. I Devour its core using both of my God Arcs and let the Aether go as it slumps to the ground. I retract my old God Arc and let it return to being my hand before I feel a sharp hit on the head.

"Ow!"

"Idiot! You can't just charge in recklessly like that! What if there as more than one target?! Charging in like that won't be helpful for anyone! You could have been killed! If you had died, everyone in the Den would be upset! Including me! I probably couldn't live with myself knowing that I could have stopped you!" Kanon shouts angrily at me. I let her continue with her rant before hugging her. She hugs me back.

"The important thing is that we get these materials and get back to the Den." I tell her with her face hugged into my chest. I feel a sharp pain in my gut, causing me to let go of her and fall to my knees clutching my stomach.

"You idiot! Did you not hear a word I said! The important thing is that we make it back! You don't need to gamble with your life just to get the materials! If you had died, other people could get the materials! It's not something worth dying for!" She continues to shout.

"Okay, okay. I'll try to be more careful next time." I tell her before radioing Hibari to bring the helicopter back. Luckily it hadn't gotten very far so we were back in the helicopter and back to the Den in no time. We gave the materials to the medical team and headed to the upper level of the Den to rest. After about an hour of resting, Kanon announces,

"Let's have that picnic now."


	55. Chapter 55

From the Start

Chapter 55

"Speech"

'Thoughts'

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

This chapter was written by Subzero Dragon. It is a great chapter! Check out Subzero Dragon's profile to see their Fanfiction.

Also, please leave a review.

Kanon's POV

The chopper ride is oddly quiet. I keep thinking about the conversation we had at the cafeteria earlier, when Winter questioned his humanity. I've tried to comfort him, I really have, but it isn't enough. I can see plain as day that he is still consumed with that unanswered question, as I am.

'So, exactly what makes a human?'

The question is burned into my mind, taking a life of its own. I find myself absorbed by the thought... I have it! Humans are smarter and use teamwork. Hmm, not really. Some Aragami hunt in packs, and Shio was definitely as smart as us. We look "human?" Ridiculous, but Winter and Shio have proven that false. They make tools? Pfft, no. Aragami evolve and learn by adapting things to their bodies... Ugh, I can't think of anything unique to us! Everything I think of, Aragami can do too in some form or another. I think I'm starting to see where he's coming from here. The line between Aragami and humans is blurred, and he's right on the razor's edge. I notice that Winter keeps staring out the window at the Aragami herds below, almost as if empathizing with them in a strange way. Or maybe he's just observing them; it's hard to tell.

This line of thought is distressing. It's times like this that it's most important to stay positive, right? I didn't come out here with Winter just to get all sullen and pensive again. Time to focus on the bright side. I force the thoughts from my mind and eagerly bounce the picnic basket on my lap. This would be the first time in a long while that I've had any time alone with Winter. I smile in anticipation and let myself get a little excited.

"Hey, Kanon. Looks like we've got some work to do before we can eat."

Winter's voice snaps me out of my thoughts. I look out the window and see two Sariels drifting about the field. I sigh in annoyance. I specifically asked the pilot to take us to the Wailing Plains because there were no reported Aragami sightings lately and the rain had broken for once. It figures there would be a reason for the lack of Aragami... it was because of these two. Great.

"At least it's just two of them," I comment as I scan the ground for any sign of other Aragami, "We can take them easy."

Winter grunts an acknowledgement and stands to his feet as the chopper descends. When the chopper is in position, he jumps down to the drop off. I hop after him, balancing the picnic basket over one arm as I leap. Before I can even put the basket down, Winter is already propping himself up with his claws to scout around. He ambles about, using his arms like stilts for a few moments, then drops back down.

"Its just those two Sariels," Winter announces calmly, "I don't see any other Aragami in the area."

I smile and set my basket down behind a rock. "Then this shouldn't take long. Let's get rid of them so we can eat in peace."

Five minutes later, the Sariels are defeated. We've made fast work of them. Then again, Winter is absolutely incredible. I mean, he's already one of the most impressive God Eaters I've ever seen, but this was something else! He's become even more awesome, using both God Arcs and his new arms to great effect. The Aragami were no match for any of that. Well, of course I helped, but I admit I spent a fair part of the battle just amazed and awed by my boyfriend.

Makes me glad he's on my side.

He turns to me, rolling a shoulder to stretch out, "That's the last one," he quips and retracts his right God Arc, "They didn't even put up much of a fight."

Come to think of it, it _was_ strange. The Sariels seemed worn out, as if chased here. Wait, _chased?_ Aragami only run when faced by a larger, stronger Aragami, or if they're fleeing to feed. That could only mean-

"Kanon, Winter! Report in!" Hibari calls out over the radio.

"I read you," Winter responds, "What's wrong, Hibari?"

"I'm detecting a huge Oracle response in the area! It's a Class 1 deusphage: a Susano'o! Retreat strongly advised! I repeat, retreat advised!"

"Well, that explains why the Sariels were such easy prey," Winter hoists himself up on his Aragami arms again for another look around, "Feeling like a challenge, Kanon?"

Challenge? _Challenge?!_ Winter must be joking! I remember all too well what happened the last time I fought a Susano'o, and it was not good. Kota, Sakuya, Alisa, and I almost died that day. We probably _would_ have died if not for Winter. The idea of facing one of those again with only Winter at my side made me break out into a cold sweat.

Any thoughts I had about retreating were quickly cut down by an all too familiar cry and the sound of scuttling limbs. I look over just in time to find the Aragami charging full-speed at us, snapping its God Arc claws in a frenzy.

"It's here!" Winter exclaims as he extends his hidden God Arc and holds the other one ready, "Stay back, I've got this!" Before I can protest, Winter is running at the enemy with weapons bared.

"I'm fighting with you! We'll do this together!" I answer as I change to an explosive shot. If he hears me, Winter doesn't reply.

I decide to attack from the side. I aim my gun and fire one of my bombs as I back away from melee range. Winter flips and handsprings with his back-arms at the Susano'o, simultaneously leaping over my blast and landing square on the creature's back. He proceeds to stab the Aragami repeatedly in the back with both God Arcs as the beast bucks and tries to throw him. I take the chance to fire a volley of emitter blasts at its exposed front. It bares its claws in front of its body and spins, whirling its tail about in a circle. I manage to sidestep its tail just in time, but Winter is unable to hold on. As he falls, he catches himself with his claws and bounds back to a standing position nimbly. It retaliates by attempting to stab Winter with its tail blade.

"You sure you're up for this, Kanon?" he asks me as he swats the Susano'o' aside with his Arcs.

Not really, but I can't let him see that right now. "O-of course I am! Let's go!" My stutter is not at all confident, and Winter gives me a raised eyebrow in response. The Susano'o screeches and lunges with a claw. I don't quite have the time to dodge and it catches my leg slightly.

"Aaah!" I scream in surprise and pain. It hurts, but I manage to tear away without getting dragged off my feet. I fire another spray of shots at the Susano'o's claws as I fall back again. Winter charges forwards again, driving his God Arcs into the beast's front. I am about to say something encouraging when I notice the Susano'o arch its tail over its body. Before I can even react, it stabs the ground repeatedly and generates a storm of explosions as it tries to pierce me. It's so fast that I almost can't evade it. One of the explosions glances my side, and I'm tossed off my feet for a moment. I grit my teeth and shoot to my feet as it tries to stab me while I'm down. I ignore the pain in my side and continue firing lasers at the Susano'o's front.

Winter notices my injury though, and I see an enraged snarl cross his face. He turns his glare to the Aragami and catapults himself at it using his claws as a handspring. Winter lands square on its head, and Winter grabs hold of the Susano's body with his talons like a bird of prey. Winter stabs the monster in the head with his right God Arc and slashes furiously with the left. In a move that surprises both of us, the Susano'o screams and slams its face into the cliff side. If this hurts Winter, he never shows it. The Aragami roars again and grabs Winter with its God Arc. He counters by stabbing it in the claw again, and the monster drops him. It tries to stab him again, and he grabs its tail below the blade with his claws. Using a strength I had no idea he possessed, he whirls around and throws the creature into the side of the mountain. It lies on its back, flailing its legs in mid-air like a flipped turtle. Winter pounces like an angry Vajra, driving his two God Arcs deep into its vulnerable belly. It screeches and lies still.

"You okay, Kanon?" he asks me as he turns from the fallen Aragami.

"I'm okay," I answer him as I down a Recovery Pill II, "It doesn't hurt. " I notice him continuing to stare at me critically, so I flash a grin back. My reassuring smile falls as I see the Aragami roll to its feet. Winter doesn't see it raising its tail for a stab.

"Winter, behind you!" I shout and point at the enraged Aragami, but my warning is too late. He spins around and tries to deploy both shields in a last-second effort to block it. The Susano'o is faster, and it lunges and catches Winter in the chest with its sword. He screams as the Susano'o pulls its weapon out, and he falls to one knee in pain. I turn to fire at the Susano'o, but I miss as it ducks low. Winter is clutching his chest and breathing hard, but glaring furiously at the deusphage.

"Winter!" I call out to him. "H-Hold... on!" I try to focus and aim, but I can't move. I'm too scared and my body is paralysed with fear. Memories of that last time flood my brain as I struggle to regain my focus. I was so helpless then: all I could do was stare as me and my friends nearly died. I recall how scared I was to die and I start to shake. I see Winter struggling to his feet, but he crumples again as he clutches his chest. The Susano'o turns to me next, clicking its claws as it closes in.

'This is it,' I think, 'I'm about to die, and Winter's...!' I shake the thought from my head and give the charging creature my fiercest glare, 'No, not again! Not this time, Aragami! If I go down, you're going down with me!' It closes its distance, opening its claws wide to snap me up.

"AHHHHH!" I scream in fury and fire one more bomb at the Aragami. It hits the Susano'o square in the face. My timing is such that it throws the Susano'o and me back several meters. I land on my butt on the ground, and the Susano'o flies through the air to crash against the wall. I spring to my feet and change to my emitter again as I close in to finish the beast for good, but this time, the Aragami does not get back up. Meanwhile, Winter seems to have gotten to his feet. He Devours the fallen creature with one last blow before turning to face me.

"Are you alright?" he asks as he looks me over. I'm flattered, relieved, and upset all at once: flattered that he's still worried about me, relieved that he seems to have regained his feet, and upset that he's ignoring his wounds again. I rush to him.

"I'm okay, but you're wounded!" I can't hide the worry in my voice as I check him for additional injuries. Winter just smiles at me comfortingly.

"Don't worry about it, I'm fine," he reassures me. Typical Winter, trying to play stoic to avoid worrying me. But I know him well enough to see the truth. There's a subtle expression of pain in his eyes that betrays his words.

"Let's get that wound bound up, Winter," I say as I dig around in my supplies for some bandages and guide Winter over to a rock formation. It's the same one where I hid the picnic basket earlier. I help him to the ground as he gives me a somewhat strange look.

"I said I'm fine," he protested, "I'm more worried about you. You got blasted, slashed, then blown off your feet... are you sure _you're_ okay?"

"I'm a God Eater, Winter," I say with a smile, "I won't die that easily. Now let me treat your-" I reach for Winter's shirt and he looks at me with an unreadable expression. I remember how self-conscious he can be sometimes and I hesitate.

"I-I'm going to need to look at that wound, okay? I'll need to... take off your shirt." Fine time for me to get all flustered. Winter needs my help, even if he won't admit it. I try to focus on what I need to do, but it's increasingly difficult with Winter giving me that look. This is getting kind of awkward...

"If it's you, I don't mind," Winter replies, smiling slightly, "Thanks for asking me first." I reach for his shirt again, and he doesn't stop me or pull away. I can't help but blush a little at the idea. It takes a bit of effort to work it around his Gawain arms. It makes me curious as to how he got it on in the first place. After several minutes of struggling with the shirt, I finally manage to get it off. I notice that the wound is in the upper part of his left shoulder just below the collarbone. It's not in a immediately life-threatening place, but a little to the right would've easily killed him. I realize then that the stab is already starting to heal on its own.

'Oh, right, he can regenerate. No wonder he's not concerned about it.' I briefly wonder if Aragami can get infections like humans do and I decide I should bandage it anyway. As I wrap his injury, I notice him looking at me with that distant, thoughtful expression again.

'What's gotten into him? He's staring again...' I blush again and finish bandaging his chest.

"All done," I finally say as I nod at him and put away the remainder of my supplies, "How's that feel? It's not too tight is it?"

He raises his arm and flexes his shoulder experimentally. "You did great, Kanon. Thanks."

"Oh, it's nothing," I reply, "I _am_ a medic after all." I check my watch and notice that it's only ten in the morning. We still have plenty of time for the picnic! I grin eagerly and fetch the basket from where I hid it.

"Since you killed that Susano'o, we should be in the clear," I comment as I pull a blanket out of the basket and spread it out.

"Me?" Winter laughs a little, "I know what I saw, Kanon. _You_ dealt the killing shot."

I dig out our food from the basket, using the moment to hide my increasingly flustered expression. "I only killed it because you weakened it so much. I was desperate and scared..."

Winter interrupts me, "But it worked, right?" He picks his shirt up with his claws and tries to wrestle it back on as he continues, "You killed a deusphage! That's no small feat!"

"I guess I did..." I smile to hear his words and I perk up, "Yeah, I totally did! I killed a Susano'o! The others are gonna be so-" A rip of fabric interrupts my words. Winter has accidentally ripped his shirt completely down the back while trying to get it over his talons. He's looking at me with a rather embarrassed look and an awkward grin.

"That's going to be a problem..." he says as he looks at the torn shirt with a mixed look of annoyance and sheepishness, "That's the third time I've done that since growing these claws. I'm going to need a personal tailor if I keep it up..." He sighs and drops the shirt, "Oh well. Nothing I can do about that right now."

"Maybe you should look into wearing a vest or something," I suggest, "I think it'd be easier to get around the talons."

He hums thoughtfully. "When I had Chi-You wings it was easy enough. I'll have to see what looks good and works with the claws."

I nod, but I'm not sure what else to say on the subject. We spend a long while just talking about whatever comes to mind. It's great to be able to talk to him like this, just the two of us. He's almost a different person when he's relaxed like this. I like this side of Winter too, and it makes me wish I could see it more often.

I'll have to arrange more picnics! This is amazing!

As we chat and eat, I notice him staring off into the distance again. I speak up, "What's up, Winter? You've been acting a little funny..."

"I was just thinking about that day Sakuya and Soma found me. I was suspicious of the whole world back then. I really thought I was better off by myself... Then you came along."

I give him a smile of my own. "I still remember that day we first met. I was watching you wake up, and then we bumped heads because I accidentally spooked you. You were so distant then..." My smile grows further as I reminisce, "Now look at what we've overcome together. We've come so far..."

I grab my soda off the blanket and raise it in a toasting gesture. "Here's to us, and an awesome future together!"

Winter looks over at me and smiles. It's the most genuine, most happy looking smile I've seen on his face in a long time. He grabs his own soda and toasts me. "To us and the future!" he says with an even bigger smile.

He then stands and surprises me by grabbing my arm. "Hey, Kanon. Come here a second."

"Wha-?" I barely have the time to wonder what he's up to before he scoops me up with his claws. I'm immediately caught off guard by how strong, yet gentle he is about it. He lifts me by the arms and and sets me down so I am sitting on his shoulders.

"What-what are you doing?" I blurt as I look down at him.

He says nothing at first, and just smiles at me for a moment. "I want to show you something. Are you afraid of heights?"

Okay, now I'm -really confused. What's he planning? "No, why?"

"Do you trust me?"

What kind of question is this? "Of course I do, Winter. I'm just kinda lost. What are you showing me up here?"

"Not up here," Winter hoists himself up on his claws, taking me with him as he uses his Aragami arms to prop us up, "Up _here_. Look."

I yelp in surprise and wobble on my perch. Winter reaches up and holds me by the hips as I regain my balance. I manage to catch myself, but then I notice where he's holding me. I look down to ask him to move his hands...

Big mistake.

Turns out the ground looks pretty scary from three meters up. I realize I have a bigger problem than embarrassment right now. I lean down and grab onto Winter's arms tighter. "Aaah! Winter! Let me down from here!"

"I promise I won't let you fall." He seems to realize where he's holding me and quickly moves his hands to my waist as he continues, "C'mon, look around. It's nice up here"

I try to calm my nerves and slowly look up. The view I get takes my breath away. I can see a large part of the plains from up here. Below me, the plains spread out like an emerald carpet. The ever-present tornado at its heart is even more impressive than ever from this angle. It's beautiful in a way I've never imagined possible. I've never seen the Wailing Plains like _this_ before!

Winter hums in satisfaction, "I thought you'd like it. I couldn't help but notice this earlier, and I wanted to share the experience with you."

I start laughing nervously, "Oh wow. Oh wow. Oh wow..." is all I can manage to say. I'm both amazed and terrified right now!

Winter chuckles lightly. "Had enough for now? Alright, down we go. Hold on." He gently lowers us to the ground and lifts me from his back. As we reach the ground, I'm hit with a brief wave of vertigo. I stumble and trip. I expect to faceplant right on top of the picnic basket, but Winter lunges and catches me under my arms. I look up, and he's just smiling down at me with a gentle expression. I grin right back, but only manage to look embarrassed.

"Kanon..." He pulls me closer to him, and I gladly let him.

"Winter..." I lean into him and return his embrace. We're so close that I can feel his heart beat faintly against my body.

A sudden inspiration strikes me. "Winter?"

He lifts his head off my shoulder. "What is it?"

"I think I have the answer to your question." He gets a brief look of confusion that evolves into another unreadable expression. "It's about what makes us human." I pull back just enough to take his hands in mine and put them on his chest. "Right here. Humanity is in the heart."

Winter continues to give me that look for several moments. Then, a smile grows across his face and he begins to laugh. I'm a little irked. "What's so funny?"

"It's not funny," he pulls me closer still, "it's perfect. I'm laughing because I'm so happy."

"Oh, Winter!" I'm at the verge of tears from sheer joy. Making him smile like this is something I can't even describe.

"Harley."

"Huh?" I look up at him, somewhat confused.

Winter is still smiling at me. "That's my real name. It's Harley."

"Harley..." He must truly trust me if he he finally told me his name! I can't resist that smile any longer and throw myself into a kiss. He returns the embrace and we hold each other close. I'm beyond delighted. I wish today could last an eternity so I never have to leave him again. A few seconds later he releases the embrace.

"Just - don't tell anyone else about my name." He says with a nervous smile on his face. I nod in response. It's like our own little secret.


	56. Chapter 56

From the Start

Chapter 56

"Speech"

'Thoughts'

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Also, please leave a review.

Winter's POV

After a nice, calming picnic, Kanon and I decided it would be best to head back. After all, I did sustain an almost life threatening injury. Well, that was her reason for us to head back. I had to agree that I would need it checked up, no matter how quickly I can regenerate. So once we entered the Den, I went to the infirmary whilst Kanon went back to her room to put the basket away with the promise of meeting up in the infirmary once she had finished.

I received a pleasant surprise as I walked into the infirmary.

"Soma?" I ask as I see him sitting on the infirmary bed on his laptop. He looks up and I can see the surprise in his face.

"Ah... I didn't expect you so soon. I guess it has something to do with that bandage?" He asks me which is when I remember that I am shirtless since I accidentally ripped my t-shirt whilst trying to put it on before.

"Oh? Oh, yeah. I got injured fighting a Susano'o so I was going to have the medical team give it a check over." I answer him and he returns to working on his computer. I catch him taking glimpses of my new limbs though.

"Yeah, these grew during the fight with the Nova." I use my thumb to point over my shoulder to my Gawain arms, "It's a good job they did grow though, otherwise I'd have been dead by now." Soma stops typing and remains silent. I would have spoke if Soma hadn't beat me to it,

"I'm... I'm sorry."

"What?" I ask, not quite understanding what he means.

"This is my fault. Everyone in this hospital is here because of me."

"I wouldn't worry about it. You got angry and couldn't think straight." I attempt to reassure him.

"Enough. I don't... I don't want you to pity me. If I hadn't let this happen... If I'd just dealt with it on my own... I never should have involved you all in my mistakes." Soma looks towards me.

"Soma, you know what I believe? Everything happens for a reason. There is a reason why all this happened. Maybe the reason is for us all to grow stronger as God Eaters."

"I'm not the God Eater you are... Everyone knows. I don't delude myself, but still... The Nova... It's my responsibility. At least I thought it was. The sins of the father become the sins of the son. And when the Nova got loose... I saw it arrayed before me again. That sin dragged out for all to see. Or maybe... A chance to bury it forever. Looks like that choice has been made for me, hasn't it?" Soma asks what I assume to be a rhetorical question but I answer anyway.

"We are going to defeat the Nova and we'll all do it as a team." I see a small smile on his face but it quickly disappears.

"I'm sorry. I've taken too much of your time with my self-loathing. There is one more thing, however. That girl, the one that looks like... She's been sighted around the Den a few times. Doctor Sakaki and I brainstormed a few theories and came up with a solid reason as to why she's here, as to who she is. The best guess we have... Is that she was born from an artificial Nova fragment. While it fought- with us or other Aragami- weak pieces of the Nova may have shattered, some of its Oracle seeping into the ground. Its ability to activate and ignite Oracle cells may have drawn the pieces together and, in a way, formed that girl. She's so fragile. Like glass or snow. No core... No heart."

"But why would it take that shape?" I ask to voice my confusion.

"Right. That's... Right. It is only a small piece of theory, but I think I understand why she appears. It's the moon. She appears like the tides, all surrounding the wax and wane of the moon. Once, they were all the same. All part of one Aragami. The Nova that resides there, and the one loose here... And the girl. Let me say this once, and we'll leave it at that. That girl, whatever she - it may be... It's not Shio." Soma speaks and we both hear the door to the infirmary open but w ignore it. I already know who it is.

"Just a rogue element that the Nova absorbed. Some fragment of a fragment that makes it appear like her. But it's not Shio." Soma continues. By now the person who entered the infirmary is standing right beside me. The pink coloured hair gives away their identity. She waits for Soma to finish before speaking,

"Hey Soma. How are you feeling?" Kanon asks, curious as to his condition.

"I'm feeling better than I was before. Thank you for coming to see me. I'll be ready to enter the field again tomorrow. Farewell." He finishes, implying that he no longer wishes to speak to us. Kanon and I choose to move to one of the empty beds in the infirmary.

"Anyway, did you get your wound seen to?" She asks me and I sit on the bed.

"No, but since you're a medic, you can just check it out." I say and remove the bandage that she had given me earlier in the day.

"Well, the proper equipment is here if I need to do anything to your wound." She says before leaning closer to me so she can get to the cut. With her leaning to see the cut, I find myself thinking that if this had been any other girl in the Den then I would have gotten a very nice view of her chest. Unfortunately, she is one of the more appropriately dressed women in the Den. Thankfully though, her outfit can't conceal their shape.

"Wow! This looks to have healed almost completely! It's only been three hours since the incident!" She says in a very surprised tone. I manage to catch Soma looking over before he realises that I have caught him looking an he turns back to his laptop. I look down so I can see the wound for myself and realise that the wound has closed and became a scar.

"By tomorrow it should be completely healed. You should rest up, you did narrowly avoid death earlier." Kanon tells me an I can't help but agree with her. It was very painful to be stabbed in the chest and the sooner I rest, the sooner the wound will heal. Kanon accompanies me to my room before we split ways. It takes a while to fall asleep seeing as how the sun's rays are penetrating through the windows.

I awake to knocks on my door. Opening my eyes, I see that there is no more light from the sun and that it is quite dark. More knocks come to the door as well as a "Winter?". I immediately deduce the voice to be Kanon's and walk towards the door. Upon opening it, I see a dishevelled Kanon clutching a pillow to her chest.

"I had a nightmare."


	57. Chapter 57

From the Start

Chapter 57

"Speech"

'Thoughts'

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

INCOMING: Another amazing chapter by Subzero Dragon. Check out their profile to see more amazing chapters in their Fanfiction.

Kanon's POV

I can't see clearly. Shapes and colours swim before me in confusing, nonsensical patterns. What is this place? I have no idea where I am or what is happening to me. As I try to figure this out, I notice that my vision is starting to focus and I can start to see where I am. It's Aegis Island. I'm near the back of the facility. The Nova remnant is standing in the middle of the area, poised for battle. It cries out and paws the ground as it arches its wings, clearly adopting some kind of threat pose. I see my fellows in the First Unit squaring off: Lindow, Sakuya, Soma, Kota, Alisa, Winter... and is that me? Sure enough, I see myself standing there too alongside my friends. We're all standing before the beast with God Arcs bared.

Wait, what? How is that happening? My perspective is still off towards the back though, so... what am I seeing? I'm right here... or there? Huh? I'm more than a little confused by what I'm seeing. It's like I'm living in a video, watching myself. No, this is more real than a hologram, but less real than it should be. So weird.

I try to run towards my allies and join the fight, but my legs are unresponsive. I try to speak, but I am mute as well. I try to reach for my Arc, but my arms don't move. I'm rooted in place, a mere observer to what's unfolding before me. I feel a mix of anger and frustration at my inability to move or speak.

This freezing-in-place thing happens to me _far_ too often. I'm really hating that.

The enemy screams out a battle-cry and throws itself at us. My friends charge in response, and my doppelganger responds in kind. Soma, Lindow, and Alisa are striking from the sides in a pincer attack. Kota, Sakuya, and "I" have fallen to the rear, firing a barrage of shots at the Aragami. Winter has taken point, serving as vanguard as he leaps at Nova. The clash is fearsome, and nobody is holding back a single iota. Everyone is giving their absolute all.

Nova takes a flying leap above the melee fighters, spreading its wings wide to extend its jump. Kota fires a bomb at its face, knocking it off course and causing it to crash into a wall. My clone rushes in from its blind spot. Nova spins to its feet and slams "me" into the wall with a rear-kick. My double cries out in pain and I feel it too.

How is that happening? Why do I feel the pain?

I see myself roll to a sitting position and try to stand. I back up, raising my gun for another shot. It roars and drives its claws into me before I can completely withdraw. Now that hurts _really_ bad! Even though I'm only watching this, I still feel the horrible pain as if it were my own. I hear myself shriek in agony as I look at my injuries. I can see the Nova's claws have slashed several deep wounds into my body. I collapse as my world blackens around me. My last vision is of Winter rushing to my double's side with a look of horror and rage on his face. I hear him scream my name as I fade out...

Darkness. There's darkness everywhere. I can't see anything, and I can't feel my body. The silence is deafening. I'm not even sure where I'm standing, or even _i_ _f_ I'm standing. It's like I'm just floating... or maybe I'm falling? Flying? Hovering? I can't tell. My sense of direction is completely off, and I can't even tell which way is up. It's like I'm just drifting randomly through nothingness.

What just happened? Where is this place? I think I was attacked by Nova just now. That's right, I got badly wounded, and now I've let everyone down. I've fallen in battle because I was not strong enough. I'm full of regret that I could not do more. I'll never see my family or my friends again. And... I'm dead? No. That's not quite it. How am I still conscious if I'm dead? I start to hear voices from somewhere far away.

"No, not here! We have to rally!"

"Do we even stand a chance? This Nova's far more powerful than any other Aragami we've ever faced before..."

"We have to keep fighting! There's no other way!"

"I'm scared... I don't think we're strong enough!"

"C'mon, pull it together! We can't hesitate just because we're scared!"

"But, our best isn't good enough!"

"Does it matter? If we do nothing, it will just devour the world. If we fall, it will still end the world, but we will have died giving our all. We have nothing to lose by trying."

"Exactly! That's why we can't just ask 'what if!' We have to fight on, even if it's impossible to win!"

Who's talking? I can't quite make out the speakers, but they sound familiar. I should know these voices... but I can't even concentrate. Everything's so murky and unfocused. I try to run towards the voices, but it's like I'm swimming. My legs won't reach the ground and I can't walk. As I struggle to regain my senses, an unmistakable voice cuts through the others' clear as a bell.

"Get up! Nobody gets left behind!"

That voice! Is that...?

"Don't run away from living, Kanon!"

It's Winter! He's calling for me! I'm on my way! I try to force myself in the direction I heard Winter call me. My body won't move like it should. I'm only flailing my limbs in mid-air. If I'm making any progress at all, I can't tell. How do I get back to him? How do I tell him I'm still alive? I want to call out to him, to tell him I'm okay, but I'm still mute. I continue to struggle towards his voice in vain. Maybe if I just keep struggling...

"Don't leave me, Kanon!"

I keep straining towards his voice, but I cannot reach him.

"You're stronger than this! Fight!"

Why is this happening to me? Why aren't I strong enough?

"I won't let you go! Not like this!"

I won't surrender, I won't! Winter, I'm coming!

"Kanon, don't you dare die on me! Stay with me!"

I refuse to give up yet! I need you, Winter! Just... hold... on! I gather my strength and try to call out one more time.

"WINTER!" I finally scream aloud.

My own voice startles me and I suddenly tumble. I land roughly on the ground, hitting something hard. Okay, that hurts... wait, it hurts! I shake my head and open my eyes. It's dark, but my vision is luckily adjusted to the lack of light. It takes me a moment to regain my bearings, but I realize where I am. I'm in my room, and I'm laying on my back. It's still night-time, and the dim glow of some ambient lights on my terminal cast the room in a dull, artificial haze. I just lie there for a few moments, catching my breath and gathering my spinning thoughts. But something is kind of off. My perspective is kind of different from normal... what's wrong here?

*Fwap!*

Something falls from above and lands on my head, blocking my vision and briefly smothering my face. I yelp in surprise and shoot to a sitting position. A pillow tumbles off of me and into my lap. That's when I realize that I'm sitting on the floor next to my bed. Apparently, my pillow fell of the bed and hit me in the face. But why am I down here? Maybe I've fallen out of bed. That must be why I'm sitting on the floor right now.

My mind briefly drifts to that horrible nightmare I just had. I was fighting that horrible Aragami with my friends. Then, what? I... died? And Winter was begging me to come back... The thought of how lonely and desperate I felt brings a shiver to my spine. I clutch the pillow to my chest and have to stifle the urge to cry. Then, my resistance falls and my tears start to spill. It's just a dream, I keep telling myself... but it's the most terrifying dream I've had in a long time. It scares me to the core.

'What's gotten into me?' I wonder to myself as I bite back a sob, 'I'm a God Eater. Facing death on a daily basis is what I do, no, it's what _we_ do as soldiers of Fenrir. We all defy the Reaper each and every time we take up our Arcs... so why am I so freaked out _now?_ ' I ask myself the questions, but I know the answer in my heart. Death isn't what scares me. It's the idea of hurting Winter with my passing that wounds me so much. The notion of leaving him alone and in pain tears at my soul. I can't bear that thought. I just sit there for a while, hugging my knees to my chest and staring at the wall as I gather my composure.

'It's a dream,' I tell myself, 'Just a dream. Get a grip and take a deep breath. Calm down... calm down.'

I take several moments to just breathe and settle down. I'm feeling less panicked, but my anxiety remains. That one distressing feeling of loneliness just won't fade. I decide I need to speak to Winter. Maybe that will take the edge off my unease. I stand from the floor, still clutching the pillow. I leave and head for Winter's room. I'm still a mess and I must look like a scared little girl holding a security blanket, but I don't care. Winter won't judge.

I make my way down the halls to the elevator and to the Veterans' Section. I pause before Winter's door and raise a hand. I pause again as a thought crosses my mind. Winter won't judge me, but others might not be so kind. Maybe I should at least clean up a bit first. Then again, it's the dead of night. Who's going to see me like this apart from him? I dismiss the thought as quickly as it comes and knock quietly.

"Winter?" I ask softly. I don't want to startle him or wake anyone else. A few moments later, a somewhat sleepy-looking Winter opens the door. He seems a little surprised to see me and gives me a questioning look.

"I had a nightmare." Wow, _that_ didn't sound immature at all. I blush in spite of my efforts.

"A nightmare?" Winter asks me, "Do you need to talk about it?" Well that's a relief. He doesn't seem to be annoyed at me or dismissive. In fact, is that a look of concern I see on his face?

"I... yes," I say, "But not in the hall. May I come in?"

Winter stands aside, holding the door as I enter. He softly shuts the door as I take a seat on the couch. He sits next to me and asks, "What's wrong, Kanon? You look like you've been crying."

Geez, I guess I do, don't I? Maybe I should've at least splashed some water on my face before I left to see Winter. I wipe at my face and take a deep breath. It takes a few false starts, but I manage to explain that dream I had: the failed fight with Nova, getting killed in the battle, and getting trapped in that dark place. The part about him calling for me as I struggle to reach him seems to strike a particular note with Winter. He's giving me that look of concern again as I finish my story.

The room is as silent as the darkness of my dream. We say nothing for a long while. It feels like hours, but it was probably only a few moments. Winter finally speaks up, "That sounds pretty intense. I don't even know what to say..."

This feels so awkward. I don't feel any better at all. All I've done is make Winter upset. "Maybe this was a bad idea. I guess I just wanted some reassurance..."

"It's alright. You can tell me anything." Winter puts an arm around my shoulder and I look at him. He's smiling that honest smile he gave me at the picnic earlier, but I can see a somewhat sad undertone to it this time. He's trying to comfort me, but what I've told him is bothering him, I can tell.

I can't keep up my act anymore. I break eye-contact and stare at my lap. I start crying again in spite of myself. "I don't know what's gotten into me, Winter. We're God Eaters for crying out loud. We face the risk of dying every time we take a mission, but... I dunno. I guess it's the idea of leaving you all behind and being so alone that scares me most. Why am I so weak?"

"Being scared isn't a weakness, Kanon. Being scared just means you understand that you have limits."

"But... I don't want to be alone." I blubber, "You only have a few years to live. Even if we somehow make it past this... I..."  
"Kanon..." He pulls me closer and runs a hand through my hair. I can't stand it anymore, and I sob into his shoulder. He stays silent for an uncomfortable few moments. Then, he looks me right in the eyes and lifts my chin in a hand, wiping my tears from my cheek with the other."You aren't alone, nobody is. You taught me that. Have you forgotten your own wisdom?"

"No... I'm just... having a... hard time... convincing myself... right now..." I bite my lip in an attempt to regain my composure.

"Kanon, it's going to be okay-"

"I... I just... can't tell... myself it'll... be... okay...!" I bawl helplessly as I collapse into his shoulder, "Oh, Harley...!" I burst into another round of sobs. We sit together for a long while, just holding each other. I'm crying like a kid into Winter's embrace, and he's just holding me and stroking my head. After what feels like hours but might have only been a few minutes, I pull back a little. I feel a little self-conscious after that cry, and I lower my eyes and blush at myself. That's when I notice that Winter was crying a little too. He's trying to hide it with his usual act, but the gleam on his cheek reveals the truth.

'Way to go, Kanon. You just made your boyfriend cry,' I mentally scold myself as I stare at the floor in shame.

"I think we're both lying to each other," he finally says with a sad expression, "I don't think we'd be 'okay' if the other died. I know _I_ wouldn't be..." he seems to brighten slightly as he continues, "But that time has not yet come. We have each other _now_ , don't we?"

I look up at him and smile a little as I consider what he's said. "Yeah... yeah, you're right!" I perk up a little at his words, "We still do!"

"Of course, and I don't plan to change plans anytime soon! How about you, Kanon?" His smile becomes more genuine and he ruffles my hair playfully. I giggle and lean into him, letting him toy with me. I accidentally slide down and wind up in his lap. He smiles some more and strokes my head. I feel as content as a kitten right now.

"Nope. I wanna be with you forever, starting tonight." I blink and put a hand on my mouth as I sit up in surprise. That might've been _way_ too forward of me just now. My thoughts just popped out without even considering what he thinks... but Winter doesn't flinch or balk. He actually seems quite happy to hear my words.

"Getting shy _now_?" he teases me lightly. I grin and hug him again and my brief embarrassment is forgotten. He returns the hug, lifting me by the arms. I start laughing as he twirls me in an enthusiastic spin before setting me back down.

"Can I stay with you?" I ask him, forsaking my earlier hesitation without a second thought.

"For tonight, or as long as you like," he answers, "Bringing your pillow was good foresight." I smile and scoop up my pillow from where I'd dropped it. I'm both delighted and a bit sheepish. I allow myself to forget the foreboding gloom and enjoy this perfect time I have right now. I don't know what the future holds for us, but at least I'll have this one day to treasure in my heart forever.


	58. Chapter 58

From the Start

Chapter 58

"Speech"

'Thoughts'

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Winter's POV

A few days had passed since Kanon's nightmare and nothing much happened. Kanon came to my room more frequently and I feel happy about that. It feels like we really are a couple now and not just two very well acquainted people. Other than that though, the only important events was that Kota and Alisa had woken from their comatose states. They can re-enter combat as of today. I wonder if that is why Sakaki has called us, Soma, Alisa, Kota, Kanon and I to his office.

"It's great to seee you all back in your fighting trim. Hehehe! Oh, you pulled off quite a recovery." Sakaki began.

"I know we've been pushing you very hard since the beginning. In truth, I wish we could afford more time. I'd love to give you a holiday."

"Nah! I don't wanna lose my edge. Wouldn't want the tickets to the Gun Show to sell out, if you catch my drift." Kota says as he flexes his arm muscles before laughing it off. I hold back a snicker and I see Kanon turning away, also holding back a laugh. We must have been thinking the same thing.

"Hahaha! I'm glad to hear that from you Kota. A little confused, but mostly glad." Sakaki's words make us unable to contain a small chuckle. The rest of the group turn to us before Alisa speaks, bringing the attention to her.

"We're ready to enter the battlefield, but have you come up with a way to defeat the second Nova?"

"In a way, Alisa. You see, Licca and I put our heads together and advanced a number of theorems and strategies. The only one that held any water, however, was God Arc Delicacies."

"Ohhhh... Wha?" Kota voices his cluelessness.

"I think he means, what?" Alisa speaks up for everyone that doesn't speak like Kota.

"It's an od term, I know," Soma enters the conversation, "but it does have merit. When we lay Aragami, our God Arcs take in a part of their Bias Factor. The problem is, the Nova works the same way. The clash of those similar Factors is nullified."

"Hence we must make our God Arcs stronger, yes? We must Devour Aragami, rare one, that the Nova has never encountered." Sakaki finishes.

"Sounds promising. Let' get on the hunt and take some rare cores!" Alisa speaks with enthusiasm lacing her voice.

"It won't be easy." Kanon contributes, eliciting a response from Soma,

"Of course not. I mean, it never is. Some Aragami have eaten artificial Nova fragments, making them very rare. They are perfect targets, but also about the Nova's equal in sheer power."

"Like the one from the other day?" I ask Soma, reminding him of the Venus we fought only days ago and he gives a shake of his head in response.

"Oh! Perhaps we call them _Dreadnought Class_ Aragami! That sounds dreadfully frightening, yes?" Sakaki asks for our opinion. He succeeds in scaring Kota,

"Uh... Y-yeah. Dreadnought. Pretty... Pretty frightening there, Doc."

"Good thing he didn't lose his edge." Alisa speaks mockingly.

"They're called Dreadnoughts, Alisa. Dreadnoughts!"

"As luck would have it, we already have leads on a number of potential Dreadnoughts. I know it's risky to send you on a hunt fresh from the hospital bed, but if the Nova reaches them first, we lose our advantage. So I ask, are you up to the challenge?" Sakaki enquires. I give a nod of my head, accepting these new challenges.

"Oh, you know we're up to the challenge! Whatever, I'm totally not scared of dying and being eaten by a giant monster, no way! That's ridiculous! Let's do this!" Kota says, attempting to mask the fear in his voice with enthusiasm.

"Feel free to sit this one out Kota." I joke before leaving the room, assuming that Sakaki had finished. It was only seconds later that he caught up to me.

"No way! This is our chance to grow stronger as God Eaters!" He says and the rest of the Unit catches up.

"That's the spirit, Kota!" I say before turning back to the rest of the Unit.

"For our first mission, it will be Kota, Soma, Alisa and I. Kanon, I want you to see if you can develop stronger bullets in the training room. It could save us a lot of time." She gives me a nod before rushing off.

"For the rest of us, we should meet up on the roof in 15 minutes. This should give everybody time to know what we're going up against and to prepare for it." I tell them before we split ways to prepare for the mission.

1 hour later, the four of us are skulking around the Sunken Grid in an attempt to find one of the new Dreadnought classed Aragami.

"The reports said it likes to hunt in this region. The Aragami should be nearby." Alisa informs us.

"Then it's time to do some hunting of our own. Right? Guys?" Kota asks. I would have answered him had my attention not been taken by a figure standing behind a small tree. Focusing on the figure, it looks a lot like Shio but a black mist surrounds her. It remains for a few seconds before the mist and the figure disappear. I look on in shock at what happened.

"Something wrong?" Alisa's question brings my attention back to them. I give them the signal to follow me but remain silent as I walk towards where the figure stood.

"Hey, hey! Wait!" Kota shouts, clearly not understanding my signal but the fact that I hear footsteps behind me suggests that the others did. Walking to the point where the figure stood, I take a look around. It's only seconds later that the figure and the black mist returns about 5 metres in front of us. I can now confirm with my own eyes that the figure looks exactly like Shio.

"Hold on..." I turn towards Kota as he speaks. I see him looking at the figure.

"So it isn't just me." I mumble before looking towards the figure again. We all walk towards the figure and come within one metre of it.

"She... She looks just like Shio." Alisa speaks in surprise. The figure looks at each of us before turning and walking away.

'Wait!' I think to myself and run towards the figure, laying a hand on its shoulder in the process, unknowingly causing a resonance.

The images I see from the resonance relay to me, what I believe to be, Shio's memories. The resonance stops after a few pictures of her memories and my hand falls through the air with the figure disappearing as it does so.

"What was that?" Alisa gasps in surprise and I look towards her.

"Did you see that too?" I ask her and she gives a nod of her head.

"What the hell just happened? Someone tell me what just happened!" Kota speaks and I turn towards him to see him sprawled on the ground.

"Tell me everybody saw that..." Alisa speaks and I turn to Soma to see if he has seen that too. I see him clutching his head with his free hand.

"Yeah" He speaks.

"That was a resonance, wasn't it? There's nothing else it could have been." Alisa says to me.

"There's no doubt in my mind that it was a resonance. But even the Old-Types seen it as well?" I look towards Soma and Kota who gives a nod of the head in confirmation. Our thinking is halted when an Aragami shows itself.

"We'll have to think about that later. Right now, we have company." I tell them before entering a fighting stance.

The fight lasts 15 minutes but it feels like hours. I had been winded several times and barely escaped death twice with the Aragami, now known as a Caligula, charging towards us in a Hannibal-like style with blades coming out of its arms. I had to jump very high in order to avoid begin decapitated, luckily had entered burst both times and it allowed me to jump high enough to avoid its blades. Alisa and Kota hadn't been as lucky and were incapacitated they were lucky in the sense that they deployed their shields before the Aragami charged and thus avoided death but could no longer battle. It took Soma and I several hits before we had broken its blades and were able to devour its core. Thankfully, by that point, Alisa and Kota had regained consciousness and didn't look worse for wear. They had sustained minor injuries though. It was on our way back to the Den that Sakaki's voice came through our radios,

"How did it go?"

"We won but we didn't escape unscathed." I answered.

"How bad were the injuries?" He asks.

"They are minor. Just a few scrapes."

"I hate to ask this but once you return to the Den, I need you to see Tatsumi to get their mission reports. There have been sightings of another Dreadnought class Aragami and I need you to get rid of it urgently. You can collect the reports to see what you are up against." Sakaki finishes.

"Another one?! We only just won against this one!" Kota shouts in exasperation.

"Kota, Alisa you two can sit this one out." I turn to them as I say it before turning to Soma,

"Soma, do you think you can handle a second round?" I ask him.

"Are you kidding me? I was hunting Aragami before you, if anything I should ask if you're ready for another round." His answer humours me.

"Sakaki. Tell Kanon to prepare her God Arc. We'll take her with us. Alisa and Kota will remain in the Den to rest." I inform Sakaki.

"Excellent! I hear that she has developed a great new bullet type as well. I'll tell her to meet you all in the lower levels of the Den. I'll tell Tatsumi to remain there o he can give you the reports." Sakaki finishes happily. I look towards Alisa and Kota,

"You two should rest up. You did only recently get released from the infirmary." I inform them and they don't disagree.

"But do you think that the three of you could handle it by yourselves?" Alisa asks. It would be hard to miss the worry in her voice. I notice that Kota also shares an expression of worry.

"Yeah, we'll be fine." I comfort her before changing the topic, "Also, when you get back, can you tell Sakaki about the resonance?" I ask.

"Yeah, I can do that at least. But it still doesn't feel like I'm doing much to help." She responds slightly depressed.

"Well, how about you get the reports for us and Soma and I can ask Hibari if she knows anything about this Aragami?"

"Yeah, okay." Alisa says with a bit more happiness in her voice.

"And Kota," I turn towards him, "You can make sure that Kanon is appropriately equipped." I tell him.

"Right!" He salutes me before easing into his usual posture.

"I'll just stay in the helicopter. You can meet me up here when you're done." Soma says as he leans back and closes his eyes, as if attempting to sleep. He would remain quiet for the rest of the trip, making me think that he had actually fallen asleep.

"Thank guys. These scouting reports will be a great help." Alisa says thankfully.

"Yeah, yeah. You know we're not putting our necks on the line for kicks and giggles, right? You owe me big time for that." Karel, who must have decided to stay with Tatsumi says in his usual tone. Alisa sighs,

"Of course, Karel. I promise, the next mission with a large bounty will be all yours." I'm impressed with how Alisa reacts with his attitude. Had he said that to me, well, he'd probably not be getting any jobs or at least a week.

"We're glad to help, Alisa. Just let us know if there's anything else we can do." Tatsumi says in a friendly tone.

"Hahaha! I might hold you to that. Thanks again!" Alisa bows before leaving the two and moving back to me, giving me the reports so that I can view them.

"Thanks, Alisa." I express my thanks and look through the reports.

"It looks like Sakaki's got the other Units to hunt the Dreadnoughts as well." I tell her as I flick through the pages, skimming through the information.

"Well, I suppose that would be more efficient." Alisa stands in her usual pose as she plays with her hair.

"Yeah, the sooner we upgrade our Arcs, the sooner we can defeat the Nova." A few seconds later, I give the reports back to her.

"That was quick." She responds.

"Yeah, I kind of has to be. I've still got a mission to do and I doubt Soma likes to be kept waiting." I answer her with humour lacing my voice.

"Yeah, good point. Well then, get to it." She uses her free hand to give a shooing gesture, telling me to leave. I follow suit and head to the roof. Luckily, the Aragami that we would be against had similar weaknesses to the one that we had faced earlier so no adjustments were necessary.

Arriving back onto the roof, I walked back to the helicopter that we had used earlier. Luckily, this was the only remaining helicopter at the Den and thus nobody would need to wait outside to signal to Kanon. Therefore I entered the helicopter and sat opposite Soma, seeing that he was in the same position as he was when I left. It takes another few minutes before Kanon shows up.

"Harley." She greets me happily.

"Hey! We have company." I tell her as I move my arms around in frantic gestures, trying to tell her to keep her mouth shut.

"Oops." She says sheepishly, "Kota didn't say anything about having a third wheel."

"Well, I think he's sleeping anyway so..."

"I'm not." Soma says as he sits back up. He must see the horror on our faces as he says,

"Don't worry about it. I've known for quite some time that your real name is Harley. Why do you keep calling yourself Winter though?" He asks as the helicopter ascends.

"How did you know that my name was Harley?" I ask him in surprise. I look towards Kanon to see if she had told him but she shakes her head. I see a smile on his face,

"Let's just say, I didn't hear Kanon leave your room that night." He says and I think I can detect humour in his voice. I turn to Kanon and see her face become bright red in embarrassment.

"Soma, please don't tell anyone." I plead with him.

"Answer me one question. Why did you pick Winter as a codename?"

"Well, that's my surname and Harley is my forename." I tell him. I focus on his face and see a bit of red cross his cheeks.

"You never thought about the possibility that Winter was also my name?" I smile as I ask him.

"No I didn't. I had very detailed thoughts as to why you are called that. Including the fact that me, Sakuya and the old man (Sakaki) found you on in the season of winter."

"Well you definitely over thought that." Kanon chuckles.

"So you'll keep my name a secret?" I ask.

"Who knows? I seem to remember that somebody told Kota my secret." He leans back in his seat and closes his eyes. I instantly know what secret he is talking about.

"And, I wouldn't have been the only one that heard what happened that night." Soma opens his eyes as he leans his head towards Kanon.

"I'm sure that Sakuya was in her room as well." Soma says before his voice loses its humour, "Why don't you tell people? Nobody is going to make a fuss about it." He says before leaning back once again.

"I will tell people, eventually. I just prefer to be called by my surname." I tell him but he doesn't respond. The rest of the helicopter ride is filled with Kanon and I talking to each other.

20 minutes later, the three of us have landed in the Wailing Plains when Hibari's voice comes over the radio.

"1st Unit, an Oracle Response just showed up near your position. Brace for combat."

"Aragami! Come out and fight us!" Kanon shouts.

"That's not going to work. Aragami aren't pets. They won't come if they are called." I tell her.

"Hey, over there!" Kanon shouts up and I look in the direction that she is looking.

"Arcs up!" Soma shouts.

"Oh... No, not an Aragami. I thought I seen a figure." Kanon says.

"A figure? Surrounded in black mist?" I question.

"Yeah, how did you know that?" She answers with a surprised expression. I turn back to Soma.

"Well, I'm going to go and investigate. Gina told me that she had seen something like that earlier." She says.

"So did we. The figure looks a lot like Shio and when I touched it, it created a resonance that we could all see." I inform her.

"All the more reason to check it out." She says as she walks ahead.

"You realise that we have a mission, with objectives." Soma says but Kanon takes no notice. I shrug my shoulders at him before following her.

"hmph. You need to have better control over your girlfriend." He says as he follows behind me.

"She's not a dog, Soma."

About 1 minute later, we reach where Kanon said the figure was.

"Hold." Soma says and I turn towards him. I notice that he is looking elsewhere and follow his gaze. I see the figure surrounded in black mist on a ledge. It jumps down and we walk towards it, with me leading.

"You weren't kidding. It really does look like Shio." Kanon says as I come to a stop right in front of it. The figure closes the small distance between us and extends its hand towards my left cheek. I take hold of her hand and thus trigger a resonance. More of Shio's memories are displayed to us.

"It must be her memories." Soma says under his breath. Thankfully, since Kanon had already experienced a resonance, we don't waste time in explaining what one is to her.

"We'll figure it out later guys. Party's here." Kanon says and readies her God Arc. I look to where she was looking and see what looks like an Arda Nova with dark colouration. I ready my Arc.

Surprisingly, the battle lasts only 3 minutes. Kanon appears to have done the most damage with some very good bullets. I let my God Arc devour its core before enquiring about the bullets.

"So, you've made some really useful bullets then?"

"Yep!" She exclaims happily, "Each bullet deals up to 8000 damage." I walk closer towards her and see a bright smile on her face.

"Good job, Kanon." I pat her head slightly. "This should be significantly easier now."

"Nice work with the bullets, Kanon." Soma says, surprising us at his praise.

'and presence' I think to myself as I had forgotten Soma was there.

"Anyway, we should get back to the Den so Licca can look into these cores." He says before turning on his radio on talking to Hibari. About 5 minutes later, the helicopter arrives and takes us back to the Den with the only eventful thing in the helicopter ride being Kanon transferring the bullet recipe to my Arc.


	59. Chapter 59

From the Start

Chapter 59

"Speech"

'Thoughts'

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Winter's POV

One event-less night later, Sakaki had arranged a mission for us to take out another one of the Dreadnought Aragami that have been skulking around in areas that are too close for comfort. Currently, Alisa, Kota, Soma and I stand over a defeated Caligula when Sakaki's voice comes through the radio.

"Come in, 1st Unit. This is Doctor Sakaki. Can you read me in the field?"

"Hey, Doc!" Kota answers him, "Didn't expect to hear from you until the debriefing. What's goin' on?"

"An opportunity, my boy! A new Oracle signature has appeared on screen, in the region of the derelict carrier. A Dreadnought Class, I'm certain. The core is likely mutated beyond anything we've seen. This could be the weapon that turns the tide. I hate to ask, but we must strike now. I know you're all tired. You've fought hard, done yeoman's service. But if we can reach that core before the Nova does..." Sakaki stops as we hear Hibari's voice through the radio.

"Doctor Sakaki! The Nova's en route! It must have been tracking the Dreadnought this whole time. On the move and closing fast! ETA 5 minutes and counting!" Hibari exclaims, unintentionally putting Sakaki in a bad mood.

"No! No, not now!" Sakaki expresses his distaste at the new information.

"The Nova's won't have this one. Let's move." Soma commands and we all head into the helicopter which had recently arrived.

"Chopper is rerouting to the Carrier. God Arcs ready!" Alisa speaks into the radio after informing the pilot of the situation.

"We're almost there." I inform them as I look towards it. "God Arcs at the ready."

"Wait, what's... The Nova's already there!" Kota shouts in surprise but I also detect some anger in his voice.

"What?" Alisa voices her surprise.

"There's something else over there as well." Soma's words surprise me as I hadn't seen anything else there until he mentioned it. There was indeed something else over there. Squinting my eyes, I managed to make out the figure of a human. Its actions though, suggested that it was not human. It appeared to screech at the Nova but it didn't have much effect. The figure attempts screeching again but as met with the same results. The Nova comes within striking distance of the figure which I could now see was the figure that had previously been shrouded in black mist. The figure was Shio, or at least, looked like her.

"There! Eyes on target!" Alisa shouts from the other side of the helicopter. We hover in the air and wait for the helicopter to descend to a height where jumping from the helicopter won't kill us. The Nova roars and blows back the Shio look-alike before moving its head to what looks to be the core of the recently slaughtered Aragami.

"Shio!" Soma shouts before leaping out of the helicopter. Upon realising this, I jump out as well. I hear the surprised shouts of Kota and Alisa but I ignore them, focusing on perfecting my landing to avoid being injured. We both land on the ground but we are not quick enough as the Nova quickly swallows the core and it begins tensing in pain.

"Damn you!" I hear Kota shout and see mortars hit the Nova.

"Did it do anything?" Kota asks. We see that the mortars did not do a thing. In fact, getting a better look at the Nova, the only injury I can see is a slashed eye. Soma and I run towards the Nova, jumping off a ledge and swipe in a downward motion towards the Aragami. It manages to evade us and leaps to the other side of the Carrier. I stare into its only eye before it jumps off the carrier and into the ocean. Successfully escaping us. It's only after Soma's next words that I remember that we had company.

"Shio!" I walk back to the figure and see Soma kneeling near her feet. I walk to her head, noticing that Alisa and Kota had landed, and cradle it, hoping for a resonance. Instead of picture-still memories, this resonance plays like a video. We see Shio sitting atop of a mountain of dead Aragami and see her distress as she speaks,

"I... I didn't want to... I was so hungry... Why was I so hungry? I didn't want to! I don't want to be like this anymore! Always ruin, death, pain! I don't want that... I just want to play with you again... I just want my friends back!" The resonance ends and the figure disappears. All is silent for a while.

"Another memory... Sh-She misses us." Alisa speaks.

"I hate to ruin the moment but we need to get back before the Nova decides that it wants a second helping." I say as I stand back up. Luckily the pilot had noticed that there was no Aragami in the vicinity and had landed near us to pick us back up. We all got back into the helicopter and headed back to the Den in silence.

Upon reaching the Den, I had taken the liberty of telling Sakaki what had happened. He wasn't in the best of moods after that but I dismissed myself after telling him. I then went to brief the only member that wasn't with us, Kanon, on what had happened.

"Kanon!" I shout as I see a lock of pink hair turning the corner at the end of the corridor. The owner of the pink hair moves backwards in response to my shouting.

"Winter?" She says in surprise of my presence. I walk faster to meet up with her.

"Yeah, thought I'd tell you what happened in the last outing." I inform her, wrapping my arm around her shoulders and making her walk with me into the lift.

"Okay so, the mission was fairly easy but Sakaki called us after that. We had to head to the Abandoned Carrier to get another rare core but the Nova got there first." I press the button for the lower level of the Den.

"It did?" Kanon asks in mild surprise.

"Yeah but that figure was there as well; the one that looks like Shio." That caught her attention.

"She was? What happened?" She almost demanded.

"I think she was trying to scare the Nova away by screeching but it didn't work. The Nova ended up screeching at her and she was blown off of her feet. The Nova swallowed the rare core. It fled before we could hit it..."

"What about Shio?" She almost shouted. The lift's doors opened as the lift stops in the lower level of the Den.

"Oh, right. A video-styled memory was played which showed a distressed Shio atop of a mountain of slaughtered Aragami." I explain as we walk past the Hibari's desk and we climb the stairs.

"Captain, hi..." A voice interrupts my thinking. I turn to the owner of the voice and see Alisa on the couch next to Kota. Across from them is Soma.

"And Kanon too. I'm glad you're both here." She continues when she realises that she has our attention.

"Oh?" Kanon says in surprise. We decide to take a seat since it was obvious that Alisa wanted to talk to us. We both sat on the middle couch that had no occupants. It took a while before anybody said anything. I was beginning to get annoyed with the silence when Kota spoke up,

"Poor Shio..."

"Oh, so that's what you were talking about before we got here." I whisper, not wanting to interrupt their grieving.

"I keep hearing her voice, that memory. She just wanted to stay with us a little longer. I'd imagine there are a lot of things she still wanted to do. She was only able to be human for so long... It's not fair." Kota continued reflecting.

"So may fragments of her memory. Her life and her choices and her hopes..." Alisa also began reflecting, "She was so small... So fragile... And still had to make a choice. She balanced the weight of the world."

"It's because of her that we are still here. If she hadn't protected us then the Aragami would keep getting stronger and no body could stop them." Kanon chips in from beside me.

"Yeah, that small, fragile girl saved us. She saved the world. The moon was the only place she could go." Kota agrees with Kanon.

"They fight..." Soma speaks up as he unlocks his crossed arms. "Shio fought for us... And my parents... They fought for a better world. Always hoping we could have a brighter future. And I... I won't let those fights end in vain."

"Nobody does..." I speak up but Soma silences me with a hand gesture.

"The Nova wants to destroy us, wants to end our future. I can't face this battle alone. I need your help. Please..." He lowers his head to make it look as though he is bowing. Kota gets up from his seat and sits next to Soma, wrapping an arm around him whilst saying,

"Come on, dude. You don't gotta ask!"

"I can't believe you! You really thought you were alone in this, huh? Like you're the only one who feels that way." Alisa finishes with a smile.

"Soma's always been that way. Since I became a God Eater I realised that he was the type to do things independently. Now though, I'm glad to see that you're finally opening up to us." Kanon speaks with a smile plastered on her face.

"Thank you..." He responds gratefully but I sense a bit of disbelief in his voice.

'Did he actually think we'd refuse to help him?'

"All right! Now that's decided." Kota begins but Alisa finishes for him.

"Now we just need a viable strategy. We've already seen the Nova won't go down without a fight." Alisa turns to me as she speaks.

"Hey, hey. I'm liking those teamwork sounds I'm hearin'." A voice speaks from a distance. We turn to the source of the voice. We see a group consisting of Lindow, Sakuya and Licca walking over to us.

"Lindow! We haven't seen you in ages. How's it hangin'?" Kota asks.

"Yeah, the Doc has been keeping me busy. Anyway, there are more important matters at hand." He states.

"We tracked down the Nova. And got some new intel that just might end this fight. Hope everyone's ready for a briefing." Sakuya makes herself heard. Soma and Kota offer their seats and Licca and Lindow take them.

"Straight to business. The Nova's holed up in the mountains. Dormant for the moment. It's in what the scientists call the pupa stage." Lindow speaks.

"Wait, you're telling us that it is going to transform into something nastier?" Kanon says with tinge of fear in her voice.

"Yes. Now I know you all like big, nasty, near-invincible monsters, but... Licca stumbled upon some good news." Lindow turns towards Licca at the mention of her name. We do as well.

"I didn't exactly stumble on it... Point is, our God Arcs can't counter the Nova's massive hodgepodge of Bias Factors. But I think - note on think - we've found a way to tear down its defences. Temporarily... A little bit."

"Any help is welcomed help." I say, making sure to give a smile as I say so. I ignore their questioning glances but eventually, Licca continues.

"It was actually Kota's report that lead us here. So, thank you, Kota!" Licca says gratefully.

"I did what?" Kota says in a very fast tone that I almost didn't understand what he said.

"In the moments after an Aragami absorbs a new core, it's Bias Factors converge, um... Trend, towards a certain pattern. In the case of the Nova, its tons and tons of factors will be reduced to a few basic ones that we can analyse. And break! And the best part - the best part! - the more powerful the core it eats, the more dramatic the effect!" Licca explains.

"So all we have to do is get some prime bait, the best cores we can dig up. When the Nova devours, it'll crash its defences. Hard!" Licca finishes her explanation.

"See, no trouble at all. After it emerges, the Nova will still be weak for a brief time. We blast the core into it then, before it can react. Once it starts absorbing, its defences will crash and realign. All we gotta do is focus on cutting that beast down." Lindow further explains.

"You should have... Almost an hour to slay the beast, before it fully takes in the new Factors." Sakaki's voice appears from behind Kota, scaring him to the point of jumping. We choose to ignore this as Sakaki continues his explanation.

"Allow me to stress this point: You are granting the Nova a strong core. If it survives, the Sword of Damocles comes crashing down. It is a sound strategy, but this will be our one and only opportunity."

"Of course, if we fail, we will have made the Nova significantly stronger." Sakuya chips in, having not said a word for a while.

"If the Nova is allowed to pupate and emerge, full-grown and stronger than ever, we may never defeat it. Alea iacta est. (Latin for _The die is cast_.) I'll combine the Dreadnought cores we've been collecting to form the bait. It should be very impressive. Very impressive, indeed. Well, please feel free to discuss the operation specifics amongst yourselves. I should have the bait ready for tomorrow." Sakaki explains.

"This has been on my mind for some time now but why can't we destroy it while it is cocooning itself? Surely it would be a lot easier." Kanon speaks her thoughts.

"If we attempt to destroy it before it has finished its transformation, it could become very dangerous. There will no doubt be multiple Bias Factors battling out a to which features the Nova will have and if we destroy its cocoon, then we will be releasing pure Bias Factors into the air. This could possibly create even more Aragami like the Nova and we cannot take that risk." Sakaki explains.

"Now if that is al, I'll leave you to your planning." Sakaki says as he walks back towards the lift.

"Oh, just on more thing. We've estimated when it is that the nova is likely to emerge. Strange, it should appear just as the moon approaches its perigree... The closest one in 18 years. Now... isn't that intriguing?" He pushes his glasses up his face before entering the lift and thus leaving us to plan.


	60. Chapter 60 - Dance of the Lunar Hare

From the Start

Chapter 60 - Dance Of The Lunar Hare

"Speech"

'Thoughts'

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.

Winter's POV

We had discussed with all of the other God Eaters what the best possible strategy to handle the Nova would be. We had decided on having the 1st Unit keeping watch over the Nova and would then battle it by shooting Sakaki's bait into the beast. That should help to lower its defences so that we could defeat it. However, if it all goes wrong then there may not be anything else we can do. Of course, that doesn't mean I'll stop trying to defeat it. As of right now, my entire Unit is in a field near the Nova. We have at least two people keeping watch over it in case it decides to emerge earlier than Sakaki predicted.

As the predicted time approaches, we all talk about the plan made to kill the Nova. I had remembered to bring a map of the area along. Each small section was labelled with letters.

"Right, we'll go over this once more." Lindow begins, "You know, this is supposed to be the captain's job." He looks at me.

"You've started so I'll let you finish." I tell him, humoured at the thought of Lindow regaining leadership.

"Whatever. So once the Nova emerges, Sakuya will shoot the bait into the Nova from point B. You will then rendezvous with Kanon and help her shoot the Nova from the left while Alisa and Kota shoot it from the right. Soma, Winter and I will attack it from the front. Now this is probably the most important mission yet. If we fail then we have pretty much doomed the world." Lindow explains.

"You have a knack for... Lightening the mood." I say sarcastically. I don't know if he realises that I was being sarcastic or not as he gives me a thumbs up and a cheeky grin.

"Of course I have. I was the leader of this Unit remember, rook?" He asks rhetorically but I fire back a shot of my own.

"Oh yeah, you were. Sorry, I can't remember that far back. I do remember saving your butt though." I say with a cocky grin and hear the chuckles from a few of our team mates. Before he can respond, I continue with a,

"You finished explaining, _Corporal_?"

"You betcha, _Lieutenant_."

"Right, well, everyone get in position." I command.

"Oh, so now you take the lead." Lindow comments.

"Yeah, I have every intention of taking charge but I decided to let you do the mission briefing. Feel nostalgic, old timer?" I respond back to him. I hear the gunners let loose a howl of laughter as they ran to their positions.

"Enough bickering, we need to get ready." Soma says as he walks in front of us. Lindow and I give a chuckle before catching up with him.

Soon enough, everyone is in position.

"Sakuya reporting in. Confirmed at point Beta." Sakuya informs us through the radio.

"Gotcha. We're closing in on point Alpha now. Stay safe out there." Lindow responds with care in his tone. A tone that I don't usually hear from him.

"Woooooow..." Kota's voice comes through the radio.

"It's amazing. I've never seen the moon so big before."Alisa's starstruck voice also comes through the radio.

"Did you really need your radios on to tell us that?" Soma asks in a slightly annoyed tone.

"Well sorry for wanting to set a scene." She lashes.

"What for? Are you on a date?" Kanon voices my thoughts about the situation as her voice comes through the radio.

"Oh, be quiet Kanon." I can hear how flustered she is.

"I don't want to ruin the mood but she would be focusing on the Nova right now." I speak through the radio as Soma, Lindow and I stop in front of what looks like the Nova's cocoon.

"That's the Nova." Alisa's voice comes through the radio.

"Things are stirring inside. It should emerge any moment." Hibari makes herself heard through the radio which makes me wonder how long she had been listening. Seconds later, the cocoon begins to shake dramatically.

"Hold steady, guys." Kota voices his concern as blades emerge from the cocoon before an adult Nova emerges from the cocoon and lands on the ground below it, 20 metres away from where we are standing.

"Sakuya, hit it!" Lindow commands and a mere second later, the Nova reacts to the cores that Sakuya shot into one of its right foreleg.

"Impact confirmed! Well shot! It's absorbing the core. Bias Factors are shifting... They're stable! Nova's defence has crashed!" Hibari informs us of its condition.

"Let's go!" I shout as I rush towards it, quickly closing the distance between the Nova and I. I see it feel the effects of the bullets being shot at it from its left and right side.

"Your new bullets must be very effective, Kanon." I tell her through the radio as I continue my run towards the Nova.

"They are, and I transferred the bullet recipe to Sakuya, Alisa and Kota to so that we should be able to damage it even more!" Kanon explains. I listen to her but due to trying to evade the Nova's many attacks, I only catch bits of her speech but make an educated guess at what she was saying. Feeling the devastating effects of the bullets, the Nova loses interest in the melee fighters (including myself) and runs in the direction of Kanon and Sakuya with its wings wide open, ready to slice. The two of them manage to evade the Nova but it keeps charging with the same attack. I change my God Arc's form to its Gun Form and fire off the same bullets Kanon and Sakuya were firing before. I gain its attention and it turns around, only to be hit in the face with melee attacks from Soma and Lindow. It recoils in pain but quickly disregards it as circles of red electricity appear around the battlefield and under my feet. I realise too late and am hit with two barrages of ice pillars. I fly through the air and landed hard on my back, not expecting the attack. I get up just in time to see the Nova leaping towards me with its wings opened out. I manage to slow its charge using my Gawain-like arms, which hadn't seen much use as of late, and quickly convert my right arm into a God Arc which also hadn't seen much use. I turn my left-handed God Arc back to its blade form and slash at the Nova, multiple times. Eventually, I have halted the Nova's charge as the newly developed bullets come crashing down onto the Aragami. It cocks up onto its hind legs as it roars in pain. I take the opportunity to strike at its underbelly. The Nova regains its all-fours position with me still under it. I roll through its rear legs to put some distance between it and I. I turn back towards it once I've rolled far enough out of the way. Lindow and Soma run by me and hit it with their melee attacks. I'm pretty sure I see an upward devour from Soma as well. The Nova turns around and attempts to use its claws to slash at Lindow and Soma as it does so. Seconds later, the red circles appear from under us again. I manage to move out of the way but I see Soma fly through the air as he is hit. He doesn't get back up.

"Soma is incapacitated. Move to support him!" Hibari's voice comes through the radio.

"Lindow! Move to Soma! I'll distract the Nova!" I command. He doesn't retaliate and does as I say. I charge towards the Nova with my God Arcs ready as well as my Gawain-like arms ready to hold it in place. The Nova charges towards me as well. My claws take hold of the Nova as we meet. Luckily, the Nova doesn't have too many attacks from the front, unlike me as I slash at its face and strange halo-thing, effectively breaking it as the Nova falls to the ground, unmoving.

As I see the Nova fall to the ground, I move to a 20 metre distance where the gunners Alisa, Kota, Sakuya and Kanon, meet up with me as well as Lindow and an injured Soma.

"Is it dead?" Kota asks. Nobody answers him as we observe the Nova. About 1 minute later, the Nova picks itself back up.

"Now we shall bury you, beast!" Soma exclaims as the Nova makes noticeable swaying movements, clearly exhausted from the battle. It tries to make itself look strong by roaring, or more like shrieking, causing us to raise our God Arcs for cover against its sound wave. Once it stops, I notice that it cocks its wings back and releases a wave of red-electric orbs at us. I rush to evade a few of them before turning back around to whack another one of the orbs away. I notice the Nova in the air as it attempts to either land on me or grab me but I manage to duck out of the way before it can make any contact. It jumps again and I backflip to avoid it. I only realise I misjudged its attack when Shio's voice comes through my head,

"Look out!" I rotate my body to avoid being hit by its blades. I land on my feet as the Nova turns in my direction. Thankfully, Sakuya fires a few direct shots at it which gives me time to move to a safe distance. We all meet again in the same place and the Nova roars once more.

"We're at your command, Captain." Soma says from beside me. "Orders?" He asks and I give a nod of my head.

"We're ready too move! Let's end this fight here!" Alisa says fro behind me.

"I'll slow it down. Leave the overwatch to me." Sakuya speaks up.

"Let's take it down!" Kanon says as she moves to my left side.

"Let's rip this bastard apart!" Kota shouts in support. I feel a hand on my shoulder.

"All right, Captain, it's on you. Your wish is my command." Lindow says as he takes up a position on my right. I nod in response.

"We'll take this monster down! Lindow, Soma. On my mark strike from the flanks. Sakuya, Kota, Alisa, Kanon: Carve out an opening." I command.

"Got it!" Is the collective response from the group as we all prepare our God Arcs for a second round. I run towards the Nova with Soma and Lindow running just behind me.

"Cut through!" Kota shouts as the Nova reacts to the barrage of bullets fired into its face. It jumps into the air and I see Soma and Lindow quicken their run to move past me and jump up into the air, following the Nova.

"Hyaaaah!" The both utter as they move their God Arcs to slice through the Nova's exposed wings.

"Finish it!" Alisa shouts and I jump into the air to meet the falling Nova head on with my God Arcs taking the lead. The Aragami inside my God Arcs grip the Nova and assist with its plummet into the ground, ending its life.

Any doubts over it actually surviving the fall vanish as a black liquid causes the Nova to sink into the ground, confirming its death. However, a white glow appears in the place of the dead Nova. Once the light dims, it forms the shape of the figure that is usually seen with black mist around it; Shio.

"Shio!" Kota exclaims.

"It's her." Sakuya speaks up.

"Shio!" Alisa shouts. I take the liberty of converting my right God Arc ack into my arm as we walk towards her. Shio appears excited at the sight of us but the white glow around her becomes more intense. She notices this as she looks at the glow and eventually looks at the moon. She looks back at us as we stop in front of her. She greets us with a sad smile.

"Shio! I'll... I will make sure you always have a home here! I'll keep the Dden safe and sound. I swear! And I'll be right here waiting for you." Kota speaks emotionally and Shio gives a light chuckle.

"I'll always take a chance to thank the girl who saved my life. I promise, I'll care for everything you gave me. And every day." Lindow thanks her whilst showing his arm to her. She has a happy smile on her face as he does so. Sakuya steps closer to Shio and crouches to be at eye-level with her.

"Shio... My sweet little Shio. You still fight for us. Still protect us. When we meet again, we'll do so much together. It'll be wonderful. I know it will! There's so much fun for us still to have!" Sakuya comments and Shio responds and a few frantic nods of her head. She turns as Alisa hold her in a hug.

"Shio! I miss you! I miss you so much! But I swear, I'm gonna protect this world for you. I'll study and learn and fight and go anywhere! I won't break down again. Just you watch! No matter how hard it gets, I'll be brave like you. A few seconds later, Alisa relinquishes her hold on Shio and Kanon takes her place, grasping Shio in a hug.

"I miss you too. We all do. I promise that I will help protect all that you have fought for. If only you could have stayed a little longer." Kanon begins to cry. I step forward, putting a hand on her shoulder to pull her away.

"Easy now, other people need to say their goodbyes too." I whisper in a gentle tone. She moves back to where she was before as she wipes her tears.

"Get in there." Kota says as he turns to Soma.

"She's waiting for you." Alisa tells him.

"heh..." Soma walks to Shio and pats her on the head several times.

"Be a good girl, all right? I miss you." He says in a gentle tone. Shio gives a smile and Soma steps back. I walk to Shio, being the only one that hasn't done so yet. I extend my hand out to her.

"Shio... Thank you. Farewell." I give her a few simple words. She smiles happily and uses both of her hands to shake mine. After doing so, she runs several metres ahead of us with a face showing emotions such as joy and happiness. She waves to us as the white mist around her grows more intense and she vanishes, leaving us to stare at the moon hoping that Shio would be all right. A few minutes pass before I speak up,

"We should head back now and tell everyone the good news." I move to speak into my radio,

"It's dead, Hibari. Send in a helicopter to pick us up." When she responds, I hear celebrations in the background,

"Of course, Winter. Sending a helicopter right now. It should arrive in 10 minutes."

"Judging by the celebrations, I guess that you knew about the Nova's death." I reply.

"Yep, its signal went off the radar completely." Hibari answers, "Was anybody injured?"

"No, not badly anyway. It was a successful mission."

"Great! I'll see you all when you get back." Hibari says and I leave my radio alone before turning back to my Unit.

"Mission complete, guys. You all deserve a good rest." I tell them with a wide smile on my face.

Arriving back at the Den, we were met with Sakaki and Tsubaki who had thanked us and told us to join in with the celebrations. Not being much of a party-goer I just stayed in my room and looked over all the new entries in the Terminal. I hadn't checked it in a while but the only one that stood out to me was:

 _Harley Winter_

 _Word of the fine contribution to resolving the Second Nova incident quickly spread beyond the confines of the Far East Branch to residents of the Outer Ghetto as well as other Fenrir branches. It could be down to that charismatic personality, of course, but we have been inundated with applications to become God Eaters ever since from young hopefuls in almost every quarter. Henceforth, no information is to leave the branch._

The only reason it stood out to me was that my first name was used in the new entry. I immediately suspected Soma of spreading my secret.

"Oh, well. I suppose that I can't keep it a secret any longer. I'll just have to tell everyone to refer to me as Winter." I speak quietly to myself.

"Wait. How can the branch have already received a lot of applications if we had only defeated the Nova about 20 minutes ago?" I ask myself but cannot seem to answer it.

"That's because the news about you leading your Unit to victory was spread by Hibari to everybody within the Den. I can only assume that someone had told one of their friends at another branch about it and news was spread quickly from there." Sakaki speaks up and I turn towards him to see him at my doorway.

"You could have knocked." I tell him before turning back to my terminal.

"You know, quite a few of you fellow God Eaters consider you to be a hero now. Especially the newer ones. Why don't you go out join their celebrations?" He asks.

"I'm not much of a party person." I give him a simple answer and almost grimace at the thought of mingling with a large crowd.

"Fair enough but you should get used to it, especially with the amount of people that have decided to send in applications to become God Eaters solely to meet you. In fact, maybe we could hold a popularity event that could let people come to meet you to give them even more inspiration too become God Eaters." Sakaki tells me with his usual smile.

"You're trying to make money from my popularity, aren't you?"

"We're running low on funds due to Fenrir cutting back on their funding so we need other ways to make money. But that's not what I wanted to talk about. You deserve a break. How about you and your girlfriend visit the beach on Aegis Island?"

"There's a beach on Aegis?"

"Oh, yes. I've heard that it is very relaxing/ You will need to take your God Arc though. After all, Aragami may still be drawn to Aegis Island." He informs me.

"Yeah, we could do that. It would be nice to relax." I tell him.

"I'll let you think about it. But try to enjoy the celebrations. It's not every day that this happens you know." He leaves with them words and I consider in whether to attend the party or to just stay holed up in my room. After 5 minutes of thinking, I decide to attend the party. It's just like Sakaki said, it's not every day that you get to celebrate something.

A/N: This concludes this fanfic. I hope you enjoyed it. I may write small follow up story of what happens in the party and possibly even a popularity event for people to meet Winter but that all depends on what I feel like writing next.


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